You're My Light in the Dark
by So-Lovely-Dovey
Summary: As much as I used to love fairy tales, I had never actually believed in them. At least, not until that fateful night…After all, the old saying goes: you've got to see it to believe it. Only my sister, Lauren, and I… we didn't just see it. We lived it.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimers: I own nothing Lord of the Rings._

_Author's Note:_

_Hey guys. This is the new first chapter. I'm going to be rewriting most of the beginning chapters, and perhaps even change a few things in some of the later ones. I'm also not going to comment back on your reviews like I use to. I heard that we're not allowed to respond back to the reviewers anymore. Sorry about that. Feel free to email me. I like talking to you guys._

_Oh, and Rohwen, a good friend of mine, got me into this awesome song called Nemo by Nightwish. The chorus reminds me of this story and the reasons of why I titled it what I did. I would post the lyrics, but we're not allowed to do that anymore either, so just go and listen to it. You'll see what I mean. :)_

* * *

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 1_

I don't know why, and probably will never know, how I got myself into this. I'm at a low point; no, I don't want to commit suicide or anything like that, but my body and mind are completely dead. Then again, that's what gymnastics does to you when you go fully into it; training elite. Everyday is the same: you wake up at 5:45, go to the gym, then ballet and school, and then off to gym again. By the time you get home, it's 10:00 at night. Except for Sunday, that's my only day off, and even that's not enough of a vacation to get your mind back on track.

"Kate, wake up! You have to get ready for gym!" My mom poked me in the sides and pulled the covers off of me. She then left the room and continued to get herself ready for the hour drive she had ahead of herself to get me to the gym.

'Argh, everyday is the same routine and it's a living hell. Nothing new and damn, I'm still tired! Why does it feel like I never even went to bed?' I grumbled to myself. I crawled out of bed and limped my way to the bathroom. 'And on top of everything else today, I just had to bruise my heels on those stupid front tucks on beam yesterday. Just my luck!' I took a ten-minute shower, threw on a leotard and sweats, and tied my hair back in a pony. I then limped my way downstairs into the kitchen where I found my mom braiding my little sister's blond hair, getting her ready for ice skating.

"Why are you limpin', Kat?" my little sister, Lauren, asked.

"Front tucks... beam... heels... ouch," was all I said. I made my way around the kitchen as fast as my heels would allow, picking up various foods and throwing them in a plastic shopping bag for my lunch.

I dropped my lunch next to my gym bag, and made sure I had everything I needed.

"Have everything?" My mom asked while tying the end of Lauren's braid.

"Yup."

"Alright, let's go; we're going to be late if we hit any traffic.

* * *

"Hey Jill," I said while walking tiredly into the locker room, "Bright an' early, as usual."

Jill happened to be my teammate and best friend. It was one of those unlikely friendships; she was loud and crazy, a lot like Lauren (who often hung out with us, despite our protests in the beginning) while I was the one who was shy and always seemed to have my nose in a book. We had become close because of our sport and the long hours of doing it together. There were only three of us that did the double practices, and as mean as it may sound, our friendship had started because of our annoyance of the third that joined us for those horrible mornings.

"Yeah, hey Kat," Jill looked up from her bag. She had rather big circles under her eyes, giving her the resemblance of a raccoon.

"Up late doing homework again?"

"Yeah. I swear my teachers are trying to kill me. You have no idea how lucky you and Jen have it doing your mom's private tutoring school."

"We might not have homework, but man are you lucky that you don't have to take ballet or deal with Jen. It's the pits." I dropped my bag down next to hers and plopped myself down on the bench. "Do you think

Nelu's in a good mood this morning?"

Nelu was our gymnastics coach. He was Romanian and didn't speak much English. He had dark hair, big eyebrows, a mustache that covered the majority of his upper lip, and a scary face which turned a nasty shade

of purple whenever he got angry - which happened to be very often. It was like the guy had permanent PMS.

"Doubt it. He never is," was Jill's depressed reply.

"Hey guys," Jen, the teammate that we disliked, walked into the locker room just when I started taping heel cups to my feet. "Yay, just the three of us again. What a surprise." She slipped her bag to the floor

and looked at her hands. "I am not doing bars this morning; my hands are ripped to shreds! Nelu can just kiss my ass; there is no way I'm doing bars."

"You say that every morning and yet you always end up doing bars," I pointed out dully. It was irksome, we all felt the same, and her talking about her pain constantly seemed to make our own that much worse. All of her complaining was getting tiresome. She hadn't even been there for two minutes and I was already restraining myself from stuffing her head in the trash bucket.

She sighed and picked at her hands, which probably weren't covered in bloody and painful rips like she was making them out to be. "I know," Jen sighed. "I just hate coming in the mornings." I snorted at her statement and ripped the sports tape with expertise, rolling my ankle around to test the make shift cocoon I had made for padding my pained feet.

"Hey, Kat, the third Lord of the Rings movie is coming out next week," Jill cut in before Jen could say anything else.

"Oh, yes! How could I have forgotten? I can't wait!" I said excitedly, my mood raising a little.

"Don't know how you did manage to forget that one; all you said for like two weeks after you read the books was that you wanted to see the last movie so badly," Jen commented with a hint of distaste, "I still don't get what you see in that Elijah dude."

"Hey, don't you go talking bad about my Mr. Baggins!" I said in mock hurt before turning back to Jill. "You are going with Lauren and me to see it, aren't you?"

"Duh."

"Jilla! Panda Bear! Jeneefera!" Nelu shouted from out in the gym.

"Shit," Jill muttered. She leaned over and proceeded to bang her head against the wooden bench in dread.

"Why can't he just say our names right? Damn Romanians! And why the hell does he call you Panda Bear?" Jen questioned.

I shrugged. "How the hell should I know?" I replied, "You know how weird he is, he even had to ask me how to say it because he refuses to learn English."

We walked out into the freezing cold gym. We still had our sweats on, but the fact that we would later have to take them off and wear nothing but our leotards wasn't a very pleasant thought to look forward to.

"Nelu! We _NEED_ heat!" Jen complained to our coach.

"No heat. Move and you get warmer," Nelu said.

"That's easy for you to say! You don't have to work out in this condition!" she continued to rant. For once I actually agreed with her, though I wasn't going to admit that out loud. I looked down at the hard mats we were standing on, which happened to be very cold - my sock clad feet were already turning painfully numb. I wiggled my toes experimentally and winced as the joints cracked with stiffness.

"Don't even bother fighting with him. Mihai said no heat until it snows. And since he owns the place and pays the rent an' all, what he says goes," Jill said pulling at the sleeves of her fleece pull-over down to cover her hands and crossing her arms across her chest, trying to keep herself somewhat warm.

"Dude, it's the middle of December and it still hasn't snowed. New England sucks, man. Different weather every year," I commented.

* * *

Approximately an hour and forty-five minutes later, I found myself very tired, covered head to toe in chalk, and finished with my appointed program for the practice. I scraped the chalk off my grips with the grill brush and sprayed a squirt of water on my chalky, dry, and raw hands.

I glanced up and chuckled to myself when I heard the pit bar ping and an "Ooof!" as Jill dismounted a double back timer onto her back, foam blocks and chalk flying up in the process. All I could see of her over

the padded hole was her hand waving frantically in the air. Shaking my head, I went over and helped her out.

The first thing I noticed when she took her spot on the opposite side of the chalk bucket was how her face was covered with tiny bits of the blue pit from the foam blocks. It was almost comical. I let out a snort against by desperate attempts to hold it in.

"What?" she asked with an eyebrow raised, blowing her bangs out of her eyes.

I full out grinned at this point and sang, "I'm blue da ba de da ba di... " She gave me a little push, her hands making a lovely chalk mark on my shoulder and she started chuckling as well. It was almost sad how we managed to amuse ourselves during practice. It must have been our lack of sleep combined with our body fatigue. Either that or we were going crazy because of it all. Romanian boot camp could do that to you.

"Girls!" Our laughter immediately ceased at Nelu's yell. "You finished with your program!"

I scrunched my face up at the known debate ahead of me and sighed. "Yeah, Nelu, I finished my routines on floor and my dismounts off bars. Can I please stay on bars and work on my release?" I asked hopefully.

"No, go beam. Front tucks."

I cringed. 'Oh, hell no. I barely was able to push myself through full routines on floor and ten dismounts off bars. I am NOT going to kill my heels more.'

"Nelu, I can't do front tucks." I pointed to my heels, "Ouch."

"Okay, do releases and after practice when Mihai gets here then go beam and do front tucks."

And I had actually half expected a different answer. Damn, damn, damn! I couldn't do those. I'll probably end up hurting myself. Well, more so than I am already. "Nelu, I can't stay after practice, I have to go to school."

"Then go beam!" he snapped. He had on that scary face now. He's also turning purple. And is that a vein in his forehead throbbing? Yep, it is. That is not a good sign. Jill sent a look of pity in my direction.

I wanted to jump up and down and yell at the bastard. But that would only result in making my heels hurt worse, making Nelu angrier, and I'll have to go do the damn front tucks anyways. Hmm, plead? Yes, I was getting close to getting on my knees and kissing his feet, too. But I knew none of those would possibly work, so I stuck to silent fuming and cursing all of his decedents.

I ripped off my grips, chalk flying everywhere as I did so, and stormed over to the beam area and climbed up onto a high beam. "How many?" It took a lot of will power not to add a 'your highness' onto the end of that question.

"Ten."

"Oh, shit," I muttered to myself. I had a very bad feeling about this. It was like a feeling I had down to my very bones - this could not end well. My body was practically screaming at me and calling me an idiot. My brain countered back with I would be even more of idiot not to do what he tells me to do.

So, although it was against my better judgment, I started warming up. Even the frickin timers hurt. After taking ten or more minutes to do only about three timers, Nelu gave me a death glare and I knew I had procrastinated long enough. I stood at the end of the beam and knew it was either now or never. I couldn't stop the inevitable. With a deep breath and a prayer to some almighty power up above, I went for it.

I knew it was a mistake as soon as I did the hurtle and punched for the flip; but by then it was too late to stop myself without having my head collide with the four inch beam and braking my neck before falling the four foot drop to the hard mats below.

When my feet hit the beam, the unbelievable pain that shot through my heels and transferred down all the way to my toes and up threw my calves was instantaneous. It felt like I had landed on one huge giant nail that went through my heel bones. Although the fact that I landed somewhat short and on my heels hadn't helped matters much, either, considering that's what caused the problem in the first place. Since I had landed in a squat position, I was able to sit back onto my bum, clutching my feet, then proceed to roll off the side of the beam.

I was crying as I hit the mats. Honestly, who wouldn't be?

"Want some ice?" Jill asked while running over from bars.

"Ice would be nice," I said between the sharp breaths I was breathing in through clenched teeth. She nodded and ran across the gym over to the fridge. She returned quickly with an ice pack.

"You really shouldn't do any more," Jen said from up on the beam next to me.

"Try telling that to him," I retorted.

"Come on, get up Panda! Nine more!" Nelu yelled from across the gym.

"Nelu, she can't do any more. She's hurt!" Jill snapped back, placing her hands on her hips, motioning to the state I was in.

Nelu glared once more then threw his hands up, muttering Romanian, not even bothering to do it under his breath. "Fine, do ten beam dance with _turty_ squats instead of tumbling."

The rest of the day progressed to be just as painful; during ballet class I couldn't _plier_ because my thighs were really tight from those stupid beam routines Nelu made me do and I couldn't walk because my heels hurt so much I thought I was going to collapse every time I put any pressure on them. The evening gym practice was even more delightful. I had to do full program on everything, meaning I still had to do full routines with all of my high level skills. It didn't surprise me, really, I wasn't expecting the Romanian Nazis to cut me a break, anyway.

The only part of my day that wasn't too bad was school, but even that I couldn't enjoy because when my mom saw me icing my heels she said to me, "Stop being such a baby. Get over it already. So, your heels hurt. Big deal, you'll live."

That night I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. I had been tossing and turning ever since I had gone to bed, and although I was tired, I couldn't sleep due to the pain in my feet. I sat up and blinked sleepily, glancing over at the clock. It was quarter to three.

Damn. I blinked again, a few times, and the numbers still didn't change. Double damn. The glowing digital numbers were mocking me. '_You have to wake up for gym in less than three hours, ha ha!'_

I rolled over and grabbed the advil bottle off the night-stand and chomped on two. I had already taken six before, but whatever. I really didn't care anymore. I probably cracked my heel bones. Yep, you go to the doctors and all they tell you to do is stay off of it for a couple of weeks. Whooptie fricken doo. One, I doubt my mom will even take me to the doctors. Two, if she does, do you really think the coaches are going to listen to you when you say that you can't do anything? And the lovely surprise of an answer is: no.

I laid myself back down and pulled the sheets over my head. I don't know how long I lay there, trying to smother myself in the blankets. I must have fallen asleep at some point, because when I woke up, the first thing I noticed was that I was not where I had fallen asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimers: Let it be known that I own nothing LotR. _

_Author's Note:_

_This is the new version of chapter two. It's like... completely different. Woo. :)_

* * *

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 2_

_I was in a cloud of mist. It wrapped itself around me, and no matter how much I ran or tried to get out I found that I couldn't. Whispering. I glanced around nervously, only seeing the white mist, the fog. Where were the voices coming from? I couldn't make out what they were saying. They were light, elegant, unworldly voices._

_"You are unhappy, are you not?"_

_It was a woman who said it. Her voice was calming and I suddenly realized there wasn't any more whispering now. I glanced around again, looking for the woman. "Hello?" I called out uncertainly. I received no answer; all I heard was only the echo of my own voices it rippled through the mist._

When I awoke, I instinctively sat up abruptly and quickly regretted it when my forehead came in contact with something hard. "Ow!" I lay back down and rubbed the sore spot and found that my noggin had collided with a low hanging branch. Wait... a branch?

I blinked several times, even tried rubbing them to see if I was hallucinating. But I wasn't. I reached up and prodded the wood. Nope, the branch very real. I scooted over a bit so I could sit up without any incident and found that I was sitting it the middle of a forest.

"I must be dreaming... " I commented aloud to myself. I got to my feet but soon enough was on my knees, clenching my jaw against the onslaught of pain I had just brought upon myself. "Okay, nope, not dreamin'," I hissed in pain.

Trees groaned around me. Birds chirped. Great, I'm in my pjs somewhere the middle of a damn forest and I must look a horrid mess. Where the hell am I?

After waiting a few minutes for the ache in my feet to dull a bit, I got back up to my feet, careful to stay up on the balls of my feet and not put any pressure on my heels. Although it still hurt a lot, at least I was able to stand without collapsing. I glanced around again. I couldn't help but notice how the trees were turning colors, beautiful reds and golds amongst the slim few that stayed green.

That's weird, I thought to myself. All the trees had already lost all of their leaves weeks ago, and seeing how it was almost Christmas, New England was sure to get hit with a foot of snow any day now. This fact only confused me more. And although I could have sworn I had never been here, where ever here was, anytime in my life, a distinct feeling of déjà vu hit me. I decided to find my way out of the forest and perhaps figure out what the hell was going on. I glanced around me, feeling a bit hopeless, as I couldn't see a clear way out.

"Perfect," I muttered sarcastically.

* * *

Frodo loved wandering and exploring the Shire. When Frodo wasn't studying or running errands for his uncle Bilbo, he would venture about with his cousins or his best friend, Sam, who also happened to be the gardener who tended the gardens around his home. Today though, his cousins Merry and Pippin had to stay at Brandy Hall for an "Important family dinner" and Sam was still busy tending to Bag End's wonderful gardens. So, Frodo was all by his lonesome and he decided to take a walk to his favorite tree and read one of his Uncle Bilbo's old books.

He walked through the woods, breathing in deep and loving the scent of all the wild flowers all about him. He came up upon his tree, and climbed up into the branches. He climbed until he reached a fairly large branch, swung his legs over it and rested his back against the trunk. He looked down at the brook underneath the tree and smiled, remembering the good times running up and down the banks with his friends when they were younger. He pulled Bilbo's book out of his bag and started to read. He was whisked away to far off places where the elves and magical creatures of Middle Earth dwelt, when suddenly he was snapped out of his reading when he heard snapping of twigs as someone approached the brook.

"Ah! Damn it!"

He laid the book in his lap and glanced down toward the ground curiously and saw a hobbit wearing strange clothing face down in dirt. Hmm, they must have tripped over the tree roots, he supposed. The hobbit sat up and Frodo immediately noticed it was a lass. She blew her bangs out of her eyes and yanked twigs out of her hair in irritation.

Frodo studied the strange lass. She sure looked odd, he thought to himself. She wasn't clad like any other lass he knew; wearing bright colored trousers and a rather large and baggy hooded shirt. He watched on as she continued to pick leaves and twigs out of her light brown hair. She glanced around, not noticing Frodo up in the tree, and let out a groan of frustration.

"Hello!" Frodo called down to her. Her head snapped up at the sound of his voice, and she looked around her, looking a bit sheepish at finding out she wasn't as alone as she had originally thought. Frodo tucked his book back in his bag and climbed out of the tree to greet the lass properly.

"Er... hi," she said a little awkwardly. "You wouldn't happen to know where we are and how to get out of here, would you?" she asked, sounding hopeful, "I'm afraid I'm a bit lost."

Frodo nodded and smiled. "Yes, I do, actually. I can show you the way out to get to the town square, if you wish?"

* * *

Something about this guy seemed so familiar to me but I couldn't put my finger on it. His curly mop of dark brown hair ruffled in the wind, and I suddenly felt self conscious as he studied me with bright blue eyes.

His choice of wardrobe was definitely... different as well. There was nothing wrong with it, mind you, but what he was wearing certainly wasn't jeans and a band tee shirt like all the other guys I knew tended to wear. He had on a pair of brown pants, the bottoms rolled up a bit, which were held up by suspenders and a white button down shirt that looked to be made out of a light weight material. Honestly, who wore suspenders anymore?

He had been nice enough to offer showing me the way out of the forest, which I had been extremely grateful for. Who knows how long I was wandering about aimlessly before he happened to stumble upon me by chance?

"Are you from around here?" he asked.

I shrugged. "To be honest, I'm not sure exactly where here is so I couldn't tell you."

He was just a step ahead of me and he turned to give me a curious glance. I had to give the guy credit for his patience; it was obvious he was just as interested and confused about me as I was about this whole situation, yet he wasn't pressing me too hard for answers. Not to mention it was hard for me to keep up with him because of my feet and all, and he kept on having to backtrack every time he realized I had started to lag too far behind.

"We're just north of Hobbiton," he explained. Realization hit me head on and I stopped dead in my tracks, not really believing what I had heard; meanwhile, my guide was completely unawares of my current dilemma and continued onward.

"Oh my-"

"What's your name?"

My brain barely registered his question over the dull roar of the frantic beatings of my heart as it rang in my ears. "What?" I asked absentmindedly. He glanced back at me again.

"What's your name? I don't believe I caught it."

"Kate. My name's Kate." I gulped nervously. "But you can call me Kat if you want. What's yours?"

He flashed me a smile. "Well, that's certainly a different name, you must not be from around here then... " he mused and stuck out a hand, "Frodo. Pleased to meet you Kate."

I felt the blood leave my face. Next thing I knew, the world seemed to spin around me. The last thing I saw was Frodo's startled face before everything went black.

* * *

Samwise Gamgee was having a very pleasant afternoon. He was doing what he did and loved best: his gardening. He was currently working on weeding a patch of his favorite yellow flowers in the front of Bag End's property. The sun beat down upon his back but a nice fall breeze was blowing about, making up for the heat of the sun's rays. He sat back on his heels and wiped the sweat that had started up on his brow, when he suddenly heard his master call for him.

"Sam!" A grunt. "Sam! Can you come and open the front door for me?"

Sam was somewhat surprised. Why was Frodo back so early? Whenever he went out with a book in hand, you could bet money that he wouldn't return until dusk for supper. After all, hadn't they parted and planned on meeting each other at the Green Dragon for the meal? Yet, ever the helper that he was, he brushed his dirt covered hands on his trousers and went to the door. He was shocked when he saw his friend and employer on the walk with a strangely dressed (and very unconscious) lass in his arms, Frodo looking a bit embarrassed at Sam's surprised and questioning glances.

"Mister Frodo?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Can you just open the door and help me get her inside?" Frodo muttered.

"Sure thing, Mister Frodo," Sam replied opening the round, green door to the hobbit hole then took hold of the lass' feet. "Where should we bring her?"

Frodo shifted the lass' upper half in his arms as they brought her into the entrance hall, nudging the front door shut with a foot. "I was planning on taking her to the second guest bedroom."

Once again Sam raised an eyebrow but said nothing. They went throughout the hole until they came to the desired hall and to the very end, going into the bedroom on the right. They laid her on the bed and Sam finally asked the question that had been bugging him the whole while. "Who is she?"

Frodo shifted from one foot to the other, looking very uncomfortable as he gave a slight shrug. "I'm not too sure. Her name's Kate, that's all I really know about her." Frodo ran a hand through his hair and slid out of the room and went across the hall to his own to avoid any other awkward questions his friend might throw at him. The whole situation was odd enough as it was in his own mind, he didn't really feel like explaining his actions to Sam and make it sound even weirder than it was already.

He moved the strap of his bag up and over his head before dropping it to the floor beside his bed. He had just brought a strange lass he barely knew into his home and his uncle was currently at Brandy Hall visiting family, and his best friend probably thought he had bad intentions. Great.

A knock on the door cut through his thoughts. Frodo sighed. "Come on in, Sam." Sam poked his sandy colored head into the room.

"I know what you're thinking," Sam said bluntly. "I know you would never do that. Too much of a gentlehobbit, you are. I'm just curious as to who this Kate is... odd name... "

Frodo breathed a sigh of relief. "Well then, that makes two of us. She was wandering about lost in the woods. Just so happened to stumble upon me and ask my help on getting out." He started to make his way to the kitchen, Sam following close behind. Frodo filled the kettle with water and placed it over the fire, then got out two tea cups. "You see, when I asked her if she was around here, she said she didn't know where she was, so she couldn't exactly tell me. Asked her for her name, then she asked for mine. That's when she fainted, you see. Told her my name and she went as white as a sheet then keeled right over."

"Odd," Sam commented again.

"Indeed," Frodo concurred.

"Well, at least you know you're still popular," Sam said with a smile.

Frodo rolled his eyes at his friend then pulled the kettle off the fire, pouring the both of them some tea. "I wouldn't say 'popular' would be the right term. I'm more likely 'best known crack pot'."

"No, that's your uncle Bilbo, most definitely," Sam corrected, then elaborated when he saw Frodo's warning look.

"I'm not saying it's right mind you, but you and I both know that your uncle isn't the most popular hobbit. Besides, yes, you might get harassed by the most of the lot of younger hobbits we grew up with, but you don't have the whole Shire muttering things about you behind your back, at the least."

Frodo sighed, knowing Sam was more than right, sipping his tea in thought. The rest of their time together was in silence, and soon enough Sam was putting his cup in the sink and heading back outside to finish up his gardening for the day.

After cleaning up the cups and putting them back up in the cupboards, Frodo wandered down toward his hall in the hole, which had a few rooms branched off of it; his bed room and the two guest rooms. He poked his head in the room Kate was in, noticing she was still out. He closed the door softly behind him, and after retrieving his book from his room, made his way to the study to grab an armchair before the fire to read in the peace he had originally sought out.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimers: See chapter 1.  
  
~*~  
  
Reviewers!!!  
  
Skitty:  
  
Hehehe! I just love it when people review and continue to. Lol. Checked out that game, it looked SO COOL! But I couldn't register to play it. :( Hope to keep hearing from ya!  
  
Stef:  
  
Ya, I changed our names, well, it would sound kinda weird if I used the same names in all of my stories. But it also isn't us to a tee like it is in The Tales of the 5 Momos either, just kinda like based on us if you catch my drift. ;)  
  
~*~  
  
You're My Light in the Dark  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Frodo was amazed at this girl Kat's strength. He assumed that she had broken her heels, when she told him that she couldn't put any pressure on them, and yet she still wanted to walk about. And surprisingly, she did so without complaints.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay? Most of the time when you can't put any pressure on something it usually is broken," Frodo stated.  
  
"Yeah, they probably are," I said, "Too much pounding for their own good."  
  
They walked side by side silent for some time. Frodo enjoyed Kat's company. He somehow felt peace being around her. She walked next to him, wrapped up in her own thoughts. ::Probably trying to figure out how to get back to her home.:: He thought. He studied her features; she was very odd by hobbit standards, but beautiful nonetheless. She had pale creamy skin, spotted with freckles along her checks and nose. She had wavy light brown hair with streaks of blonde that was pulled back into a knot and intense blue/gray eyes. She didn't dress like any normal hobbit lass would, then again, this Kat wasn't any ordinary hobbit. She was clad in all gray, her pants tight against her thighs and flared out at the ankles, and wore a strange big baggy shirt with a hood. There were red markings on the front and sleeve, on the front it said Brestyan's Gymnastics, and on the sleeve said "Kit Kat."  
  
"Why does it say Kit Kat on your sleeve?" Frodo asked his curiousity getting the better of him.  
  
"People back home would call me Kit Kat because that's all I ever ate for candy, and it kinda fits cuz my name's Kate. That's why I asked you to call me Kat," I replied, remembering the first time Jill had called me that.  
  
"Oh, I never had that candy before."  
  
"Didn't expect you to, I think they only make it back where I come from." I smiled. ::Maybe I still have some in my pocket!:: I reached into my sweatshirt's big pocket and pulled out a king-size kit kat. ::Good thing I bought a couple of these babies yesterday at school.:: I opened the orange wrapper and broke off a piece for Frodo and myself, then wrapped the remainder back up and placed it back in my pocket. "Here, have some." I said holding it out to him. He looked nervous. "Come on, it's not gonna bite. You can trust me," I said and took a bite out of my piece, "See?"  
  
He seemed convinced and took a small nibble. "Mmm..what is this? It's very good!" He said as his face lit up and took a bigger bite.  
  
"It's a chocolate covered cookie."  
  
"Thank you!" He said as he finished it off.  
  
"Why are you thanking me? I think I am the one that should be thanking you." He simply shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"It was still good." I laughed. ::I think we are gonna get along just fine.::  
  
~*~  
  
Soon enough we were out of the woods and at a dead end of a street. A little ways in front of them on a hill was a house built into it. It had a beautiful garden in front and a big green door with a golden knob in the center of it.  
  
"Now this is Bag End, my home," Frodo said proudly.  
  
"That's a really gorgeous garden you have there," I said in awe.  
  
"Well, you can compliment Sam, my gardener and best friend, on that. He does do a nice job, doesn't he?"  
  
"You can say that again."  
  
"Sam? Sam, where are you?" Frodo called out into the yard. "I hope he didn't leave already."  
  
"Yes, Mr. Frodo?" said a plump dirty blonde haired hobbit while coming out of a bush in the back yard. His face was smeared with dirt and sweat was starting to form on his brow. "Back already from your book reading?"  
  
I was looking at Frodo amused. "Already? You've been with me all afternoon," I said smiling.  
  
"Who's this Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Hi Sam, I'm Kat. Frodo's been talking about you all day," I said sticking out my hand then shaking his. "I love your work on the garden. It is quite a sight."  
  
Sam blushed, "Just my job Lady Kat. Just my job."  
  
"Please don't be formal with me, Sam," I smiled.  
  
"Is Bilbo back yet?" Frodo asked Sam.  
  
"No, not yet. And no visitors today, surprisingly."  
  
"Surprisingly indeed," Frodo said, "I hate those Sackville-Bagginses. Good for nothing disgraces to be called hobbits. Always pestering Bilbo about Bag End and how we stole it from them."  
  
"They sound like such fun," I said sarcastically.  
  
"They absolutely are not!" Frodo exclaimed.  
  
"Chill dude, I was being sarcastic."  
  
"Chill? Dude? Sarcastic? What do they mean?" Sam asked.  
  
"Yes, translation please?" Frodo asked just as confused.  
  
"Exact?"  
  
"YES!"  
  
"Calm down, ur...my dear hobbit, I was only joking." I answered stumbling over what "dude" would mean to them.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Anyone up for tea?" Frodo asked.  
  
"Alright, but I must be getting off soon, the Gaffer wants me home early today."  
  
"Aight."  
  
They all walked into the cozy hobbit home and Sam held Frodo back. "You've been with this lass ALL afternoon, Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked him with an eyebrow raised. "And how come you never told me about her!"  
  
"It's not like that!" Frodo said and Sam gave him a look like oh-yeah-right and continued his way into the kitchen.  
  
~*~  
  
I sat myself down at the kitchen table. I looked toward the doorway, where Sam was whispering in Frodo's ear. A few moments later Sam came walking in with an amused face and Frodo rolling his eyes right behind him. Sam sat himself across from me while Frodo went to the sink and began to fill a kettle with water.  
  
"So, Kat, how long has my Mr. Frodo been courting you?" Sam asked me with a grin. I looked at Frodo confused.  
  
"What did you tell him?"  
  
"I didn't tell him anything, he just assumed that on his own seeing that we were "together" all day," he smiled.  
  
"So you two were hiding something! I just knew it!" Sam exclaimed, very proud of himself that he thought he figured something out.  
  
All I could do was laugh. "Ya know Sam? I think the real question is just how long ago we met." I said through fits of laughter and wiping the tears from my eyes.  
  
"Okay, then how long ago did you meet?"  
  
"Around elevensies today," Frodo said while hanging the water filled kettle over the fire.  
  
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize..."  
  
"It's alright Sam," I said, "Quite understandable."  
  
"So, um, Mr. Frodo, why did you bring her home with you if you two just met this morning?"  
  
"Well, I was reading my book up in my favorite spot when she came into the clearing and passed out. I revived her and brought her back here to stay with me because she's not from around here." He took the kettle out of the fireplace, set it on the table, and poured each of us a cup. We sat in silence, each of us sipping at our tea. ::Damn, Sam thinks a lot. Either that or he's still comprehending what Frodo told him.::  
  
Sam soon finished his tea and stood up. "I got to go, Mr. Frodo, me Gaffer's probably worried. I'll be back tomorrow," he left the kitchen and made his way to the front hall and picked up his things. "Farewell, Mr. Frodo! Bye Kat!" He called and opened the door and was gone.  
  
"He seemed nice," I said still sipping my tea, "Kinda scary though that he thought that you were with me."  
  
"Yes, well, Sam's been like that ever since he has gotten that crush on Miss Rosie Cotton who works down at the Green Dragon. Don't mind him, it's probably just a phase." A few minutes passed in silence. ::Frodo doesn't like to talk much does he? Or is he just uncofertable with me?::  
  
"So your Uncle is away traveling?"  
  
"Yes, he's at Brandy Hall in Buckland right now, having supper with our family down there. I could have gone as well, but didn't really feel like dealing with family today if you catch my drift."  
  
"I was really lucky that you found me out there, Frodo, and I apprecheate you letting me stay with you. Thanks."  
  
"It's no problem really. And besides, I could really use the company around here with Bilbo always being tied up in his study writing," Frodo said then added, "If you really wanted to spend time with me, this is." He quickly looked down at his feet.  
  
"And why wouldn't I want to? And let me remind you that I'm chillin' with you now."  
  
"Are you cold?"  
  
I grinned. "Are you busy tomorrow?" I asked. He shook his head. "Well, I think I should teach you a couple of new languages." He looked back up at me surprised. "Kinda like a code for us to use."  
  
"Okay! I would love to!" He answered happily.  
  
~*~  
  
Hehehehe! Do you people like? PLEASE REVIEW! I'll give you a cookie! *Dangles cookie in front of reader's nose* Alrighty, these first three chappy's went up pretty quick. (Surprisingly for me cuz I usually have no time because of gym.) So I'll try to get back to my computer soon to finish chapter 4. (Arg, I really need a laptop!!) Tootles Peeps!  
  
~*~Rocky~*~ 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimers: See chapter 1.  
  
~*~  
  
Reviewers!!  
  
Saber Apricot:  
  
Yes, I know, my writing style is slightly confusing and causes a lot of questions. (Hehehe, I mention stuff and explain in detail later. Sorry!) Anyways, you'll soon find out the answers to all your questions. :)  
  
Lady Taliana:  
  
Glad you like it! Happy reading!  
  
Skitty:  
  
I think I'm gonna be going by the movies. The movies are just so much easier to go by when the book has so many things covered that I forget. I'm also not gonna have Kat stay a teenager either..where is the fun in that? Lol. Great idea though with the traveling back and forth, but I already promised my sister a certain event would happen that required Kat to stay in Middle Earth. Hahaha, Kit Kats rule and make people drool! Hehehe, I just rhymed! Okay, I gotta stay away from the coffee for a while. *Eyes it longingly*  
  
~*~  
  
Authors Notes:  
  
Okay, about gibberish. I'm not really sure how it first came about, I just know that all of us at our gym talks to each other in gibberish when we don't want our coaches to understand us. Hey, they get to speak in Romanian, so why can't we speak something they don't understand? (Hehehe, and pretty soon I'll know what they're saying cuz I'm taking Romanian as a language this year. Lol.)  
  
*Anything in here is gibberish*  
  
::And anything in here are thoughts.::  
  
Hey, I can't have the secret get out, so I'm not putting in how to speak it!  
  
~*~  
  
You're My Light in the Dark  
  
Chapter 4  
  
I woke up to the sun's rays shining in my face. ::Please don't let that to only have been a dream, please...:: I opened my eyes and sat up. I was still in the guest bedroom in Bag End. ::Thank you! And thank god, no gym again today, and probably for a while too!:: I climbed out of bed and walked over to a mirror in the corner. ::Ya know, now that I think about it, it's not even the gymnastics that I hate, cuz I've been doing it like my whole life. What I really hate is the pushing from my parents and coaches. Not really from my Dad but especially from my Ma....no! I'm not going to think about that now. I'm gonna try and be happy here.:: I looked into the mirror, my reflection almost the same as it was back home. Almost, though. Something was different. ::Hehehe, I think I've been hobbitized. Yes, that's what's different, I've been hobbitized.::  
  
I pulled my sweats back on (I had slept in my underwear and bra) and picked up a brush on the dresser and pulled my hair back into a messy bun. I walked out into the hallway and decided to look for Frodo. "Frodo?" I started walking through the house and couldn't find him. ::Maybe he's still asleep?:: I walked back into the bedroom hall and put my ear against his bedroom door. I could hear his steady deep breathing from within. ::Haha, sleepin' like a baby. Perhaps I should make him a little surprise for breakfast...::  
  
~*~  
  
Frodo awoke to a great smell. He quickly threw on his clothes and ran into the kitchen, only to find Kat sitting at the kitchen table with a huge smile on her face. There was a plate in front of the chair across from her filled with what looked like yellow toasted bread.  
  
"Now, what do we have here?" he asked.  
  
"I decided to make breakfast," I said proudly, "I don't think you've ever had it though, it's called French toast."  
  
"No, I couldn't say that I have." He sat down, eyed it wearily and eventually took a small bite. His face lit up at the taste and began gulping more down.  
  
"You don't have a thing for trying foods, now do you?" I asked him amused, "That's the second thing I've had you try and you seemed scared to try it."  
  
"Never have and probably never will, then again, these foods you are making me try are quite good."  
  
I watched him wolf down the plate. ::Good thing I remembered that hobbits eat a lot, cuz damn, he just easily out ate me and that's a compliment.:: "When do you want to learn the code?" I asked him.  
  
"It's up to you, you're the teacher."  
  
"Well, we could start now if you want," I said.  
  
"Alright."  
  
~*~  
  
The next few hours went by quite fast; trying to teach him gibberish, a little "language" us gymnasts made up to talk to each other without the coaches knowing what we said. And surprisingly, he caught on quite quick. He was actually speaking full sentences, which is a hard thing to do on your first day.  
  
*You're getting really good at this really fast.* I said a lot faster then I was before. "Okay, what did I just say?"  
  
"Um, You're getting really good at this," he replied shakily.  
  
"Ha, close enough. You really caught on quick. It took me a good year to get where I am now, and you're already close."  
  
*Thanks. This is going to be so much fun! No one is going to be able to understand us!*  
  
"Yeah, but, if we go into town speaking it, we probably will get the strangest looks," I replied. Frodo dropped his head and looked to the floor.  
  
"Frodo? Are you okay?"  
  
"Not any weirder than before."  
  
"Hullo, Mr. Frodo! Done with the garden for today!" Sam let himself in and walked into the kitchen. He had a big smile on his face, which quickly faded when he saw Frodo's state. "Are you alright, Mr. Frodo?"  
  
"Yes, yes, I'm alright Sam." He lifted his head and gave him a weak smile.  
  
"So, what have you two been doing all day?" Sam asked.  
  
"Kat's been teaching me a new language from her home. It's kind of like a code." I smiled.  
  
"And he's quite fluent at speaking and understanding it already. Very surprising, it even took me a good year to learn it, and he's almost to where I am now."  
  
"Mr. Frodo's always been good at languages, Mr. Bilbo already taught him much Elvish," Sam said.  
  
"Well, now that I know that, now wonder you're so good at gibberish, it's really easy compared to Elvish!" I laughed.  
  
"Are you going to take Kat to the Green Dragon tonight, Mr. Frodo? I've told Merry and Pippin about her and they want to meet her." Asked Sam  
  
"Yeah, I suppose so. But do me one favor, Sam." Frodo said.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Don't try and make me dance with that Poppy Bolger again. You remember what happened last time."  
  
"Mr. Frodo, will you ever get over that? So what if she didn't really like you."  
  
"She went around all of Hobbiton and convinced everyone that I was a weirdo! Now no one will even talk to me!"  
  
"I don't think you're a weirdo, I'm much more of a weirdo than you'll ever be. But, I like being a weirdo; it makes you different than everyone else. It's a lot of fun, actually," I said.  
  
"Well, I'm the weirdo around here, because of Bilbo's travels and adventures, and people make fun of me to my face for it. 'Hey look, there's Dodo, the nephew of that Crackpot Baggins.' I find it far from fun."  
  
Sam put his arm around Frodo's shoulders, "I promise I won't make you dance with anyone this time."  
  
"Yo, what time are we going?" I asked. They both stared at me for a moment. "What?"  
  
"Um, around 5:30? Yeah, that sounds like a good time," Sam replied.  
  
"Cool, I'm gonna go chill for a while and ice my heels. See ya dudes later." I then turned and left for my room.  
  
Sam and Frodo looked at each other puzzled for a moment.  
  
"She talks awful weird now, doesn't she?" Sam asked.  
  
"Aye, she's awfully strange indeed, but I like her," Frodo said.  
  
"How long is she staying?"  
  
"For a while. She's not from around here, she says that she doesn't come from Middle Earth or the Undying Lands."  
  
Sam gave him a weird look. "You honestly believe that?"  
  
"Well, you've seen her, she's not like anything I've ever seen before. She talks weird, with many words and an accent we never heard before. And she doesn't dress like any lass around, so yeah, I believe her."  
  
"She has an accent?"  
  
"Yes, well, I suppose you haven't heard her talk enough to notice it but, she doesn't pronounce her R's. Like just before she said weido instead of weirdo."  
  
"Whatever you say, Mr. Frodo, whatever you say."  
  
~*~  
  
Hehehehe! Kat has a Boston accent! Hehehehe! Yeah, do you people like? That chapter took me a while cuz I couldn't get to my computer cuz of gym. (I really need a laptop!) O, I saw ROTK yesterday; all I can say is WOW! Like omg, really good! Lol. Yeah anyways, please review and I'll bake you some Christmas cookies!  
  
Merry Christmas!  
  
Crazzymonkeys Rock!  
  
~*~Rocky~*~ 


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1. _

**Author's Notes**: 

This chappy had songs, but I had to cut them out due to ff dot net's new rules. So if it's choppy, that's why. I'll fix it up as soon as I get the chance. Please understand. :) 

**You Are My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 5_

I sighed. "I've had a song stuck in my head for the past two hours, and I still can't remember how the second verse goes. Arg!" I decided take another look at my feet. I pulled them out of the bucket of cold water and placed them on top of a towel on my bed. _'Hum, the swelling has gone down a great deal, that's good. But, they're still really colorful.'_ I then heard a knock at my door. "Come in!" 

Frodo peeped his head into the room. "Hello. What are you doin'?" 

"Just checking out my heels. They're actually getting better." He walked over and sat on the bed next to me. 

"I heard you singing. You have a nice voice." 

I blushed. "Thanks." 

"What was that song about?" 

"Um, I'm not really sure, but I think it tells not to give up on your dreams. I have it stuck in my head and I can't remember past the first verse. It's really annoying me." 

"Well, if you think that's annoying, wait till you meet my cousins Merry, Pippin, and their friend Lily. Now them three get irritating fast when you don't know them well. They pester you till you feel like you wanna go mad," Frodo said, "Ah, speaking of them we have to go soon. Are you ready?" 

"Yeah, lets go." 

The night air was crisp and cool on my face. I pulled the hood of my sweatshirt on over my head. 

"You cold?" 

"Nah. I'd just like walkin' in there all mysterious and stuff." 

"Uh, sure, whatever you want." We walked in silence for a while. 

_'I miss Lauren. She was the only one who understood me, and what I was going through with Ma. I wonder what she's doing now and if Ma even misses me. I hope Lauren's doing okay.'_ A single tear fell down my cheek at the thought. I held my head down, not wanting Frodo to notice. 

We came up to the pub and entered. There were many tables along side the walls, the middle was clear and there were many drunken hobbits dancing about crazy. Frodo led me toward the back where the bar was. Sitting at the bar was Sam, with two guy hobbits and a girl hobbit. They were talking to the barmaid. 

"Hey guys!" Frodo greeted as we walked up. 

"Hullo, Mr. Frodo!" Sam said, "Hey Kat!" 

"Hey, how's it goin'?" I asked. 

"Good, very good actually. Having a grand time." 

"Alright Kat, this is Merry, Pippin, Lily, and Rosie," Frodo introduced everyone. 

"Yeah, Sam's been tellin us about you. So, you're a new friend of Frodo's?" Lily asked. 

"Yup. Frodo and I are a lot alike actually." 

"Well, that's no fun, then I guess you won't be wanting to help us with our pranks now huh?" asked Pippin slightly disappointed. 

"Maybe sometimes, and it will depend on what the prank is of course." 

"Yay! I got a maybe!" Pippin exclaimed all excited and started jumping up and down. 

"Pip, let me remind you that that wasn't a yes," Merry said. 

"Damn," Pippin said. Rosie started laughing. 

"Well, I have to serve some more drinks, I'll be right back." She picked up a few mugs and started serving them. Sam watched her stand and followed her with his eyes for a few minutes. I watched him amused. 

_**"He really likes Rosie now doesn't he?**_ I asked Frodo in gibberish. 

_**Yes, very much. And I think Rosie likes him as well too.**_

"Ahem." Lily said to get our attention, "What are you guys speaking? I've never heard it before. It sounds really silly." 

"As well it should, it's not called Gibberish for nothing," I laughed. 

"Gibberish? Hum, never heard of it," Merry said while shrugging his shoulders then digging back into his plate of food. 

I started to laugh as Pippin started up a song and the whole pub full of hobbits joined in with him. _**"You guys are crazy!"**_

"You bet!" Frodo replied happily, "You should sing a song! You sang really well back at Bag End!" 

"Um, uh, haha.." I laughed nervously. 

"Come on, please?" Lily and Rosie begged. 

"Uh..." 

"Please?" Frodo pleaded with puppy dog eyes. 

"Oh, alright! Fine!" 

The whole pub broke out in applause when I finished my song, and I sat down pleased. 

"Very lovely song," Lily said. 

"Thanks." 

"Where did you learn to sing like that?" Merry asked, "You sing very good." 

"I was never taught, I just like to sing in my spare time, which wasn't very much back at my home." Rosie brought over a plate of food for Frodo and me.

"Here ya go huns. Trout and chips, the favorite 'round here." 

As the hours past, I felt more and more comfortable around Frodo's friends. They were happy people, and loved having a good time. After a while, (and many drinks) Merry and Pippin went out to the dance floor. 

"You wanna come, Kat?" Lily asked. Sam then took Rosie's hand and went to the dance floor as well. 

"I wish I could but I have hurt my feet and walking around is enough for them already," I said. I looked at Frodo who seemed quite content with where he was. "Aren't you gonna go Frodo?" 

"Nope, I don't like dancing. I'd really rather not." 

"Alright then, see ya later!" And she disappeared through the mass of hobbits out on the floor. 

_**"How come you don't like dancing?"**_ I asked Frodo. 

_**"I just never have, and like a year ago Sam made me dance with this new lass from Buckland. That was before we really knew her. She turned out to be a real problem. She went around the whole Shire and made people believe that I was crazy. And of course everyone believed her because they all thought Bilbo was nuts because of his adventures in the first place! I haven't danced ever since."**_

**_"Well, what does that have to do with not dancing?"_**

**_"One, that's how I first met her. And two, I'm not good at it."_**

**_"Oi va voi! You are so stubborn, you know that? You're not good at dancing because you don't!"_**

**_"Maybe so, but I still won't."_**

"Well, well, well, why isn't little Dodo dancing, huh? Still a scared little weirdo?" A hobbit girl came walking up to us with her group of clones following her. All except for one, who was in the way back of the group, and the only one not laughing at the leader's insult. Her head was cast down, as if embarrassed at her surroundings. She looked oddly familiar. 

Frodo said nothing in response to this hobbit girl. "So, he's still such a coward. Has his nose buried in books all day long, and listening to his cracked Uncle about his so called 'adventures'. He should really get a life." 

I couldn't stand anymore of this. "What has he ever done to you?" I asked angrily. The hobbit girl seemed surprised at my outburst. The quiet one in the back suddenly lifted her head quickly. _'OHMYGOD!'_

"Ha, the weirdo's got himself a new girlfriend! Isn't that just so cute! They can get married, and have a lot of ugly insane kids!" she laughed and the whole group, except the one, roared with laughter once more. 

"You should really shut your trap, you little bitch. You know nothing of what's going on and you should really just mind your own business, and I swear to god, if you or any of your clones come near us the rest of the night; I will give you more then just a few shots in the face!" The girl then seemed to shrink. 

"Come on girls, let us go." She started walking away from us with the clones, and the one who didn't laugh stayed glued in her spot. "Come on Lauren. We can not linger." 

"No, I'm not going with you Poppy, I wish to have a word with them." 

"Alright, but I bid you farewell, I will probably never see you again after that monster gets a hold of you." 

"She is no monster, Poppy!" 

"Oh, really? And how would you know this?" 

"I'M HER SISTER!" Lauren screamed. She then ran up to me and gave me a huge bear hug and whispered, "Nice comeback, burn..." 

Wahoo! It's Christmas, baby! Yeah! Hahaha, for one of my presents from my parents was a LOTR Monopoly game. Like, hello, I didn't even know there was one! Lol. Still pretty damn cool though! So, uh, anyways, how did you guys like that chappy? I so finished it like yesterday but was delayed in posting until today. It took me one day to write! That's the fastest I've ever finished a chapter! Skips 

Yeah, so, please review! 

Happy Holidays! 

-Rocky- 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimers: See chapter 1.  
  
~*~  
  
Reviewers!!  
  
Skitty:  
  
Hehehe! Ya, a hat owning Minis Tirth is kinda interesting now that ya mention it. :) And don't worry, Poppy and her gang "Will be back." Lol, gotta love the Terminator.  
  
Cherryfizz:  
  
Glad you like it and I got ya hooked! *Grins*  
  
~*~  
  
Author's Note:  
  
*Cough cough* I hate being *cough cough* sick. It sucks. Anyways, I'm making Kat's mom be a little more evil then I first intended when starting. The beginning of this chapter was really hard to write, damn writer's block! *Stabs block of wood repetitively* Die, you stupid block, die! Hehehe, yeah, don't mind me. Me on heavy duty drowsy cough medicine + being really bored = this chapter. So if it doesn't make to much sense, please don't kill the author!  
  
~*~  
  
You're My Light in the Dark  
  
Chapter 6  
  
"Ohmygod! You have no idea what it's like to see your face right now!" I said as I hugged Lauren.  
  
"Yeah, I know!" She said as she stepped away.  
  
"Anyways, Frodo, this is my baby sister Lauren. Lauren, this is my new friend Frodo." Frodo smiled at this.  
  
"Hey! I'm not a baby anymore! I'm 14!" she said as she playfully hit my arm. "And besides, you're not that much older than me!"  
  
"You know what I mean!" I laughed. ::Typical Lauren:: "So, I'm still your elder."  
  
"Glad to meet you," Frodo said as he shook Lauren's hand.  
  
"Likewise." She noticed there was still a circle of hobbits around them from the scene a few minutes ago; and stuck her tongue out at them.  
  
"Yeah, what are you guys lookin' at?" I asked angrily, "The show's over!" I made a face and they all fled. "So, how long ago did you get here?" I asked Lauren.  
  
"Well, yesterday when Ma tried to wake you up, you weren't there and she freaked out. You know how she's been, well, worse than usual? Well, she first demanded me to tell her where you were, and of course I didn't know. She said that you ran away and accused me of helping you. And...And she locked me in the basement."  
  
"It's okay, we're not gonna see her for a while now, you shouldn't worry too much about it." I smiled. "She's such a bitch."  
  
"What could have possessed her to do such a thing?" Frodo asked shocked. It was not the first time he had heard of a parent punishing their child, but even though he'd only known both of them for a short period of time, they didn't seem the types to deserve such a thing.  
  
Lauren shrugged, "No idea, but continuing on with my story. Well, I couldn't stand it anymore, so I crawled out of a window and ran all the way into town. I hid in a tree not so far from our old public school, ya know, the one we use to go to before Ma's school." I nodded. "Well, I stayed there for the rest of the day, watching all the kids play at recess. I missed you, and I was also worried about you, so I prayed for your safety that you ran away and planned on never going back home, and also for mine; I didn't want Ma to find me. I stayed in the tree all day, praying, and thinking of what I would do from there; I had no food, or shelter, so I decided I would at least try and spend the night in the tree. When I woke up, I found myself flying through the air, and I hit the ground. That's all I remember."  
  
"And where did you end up from there?" Frodo asked her.  
  
"I woke up in some woods, where that girl Poppy found me. I guess she wanted me to be her friend, and we met up with her gang of dodos. They remind me of the dodo birds in that movie Ice Age." She giggled.  
  
"Yeah, that's one way to describe them," I said, "I prefer to call them the "Original" and the "Copies".  
  
Frodo laughed, "Yeah, I'd say that too."  
  
"So, how did you end up here?" Lauren asked me.  
  
"Well, it wasn't intentional, but I'm sure glad it happened." I then told her what happened after I went to bed the night I broke my heels.  
  
~*~  
  
When I finished my story, Lauren was amazed. "Ya know, someone's looking out for us. We are damn lucky to be here right now."  
  
"Yes, I think so too."  
  
"I wonder what Ma's doin' now."  
  
"I seriously don't know, and right now, I couldn't give a flying rat's ass. We're away from her now, and I'm gonna enjoy it." Frodo looked at me oddly and shrugged.  
  
Merry and Pippin then ran up to us.  
  
"Come on Frodo! You have to sing your usual song!" Pippin requested happily.  
  
Merry looked at Lauren and smiled. "Good show earlier you two, it was really amusing. Anyone who stands up to that brat Poppy has my respect," He commented while staring at Lauren. "Especially if you're new around here. Name's Merry and this is my thick-headed cousin Pippin." He added while shaking her hand.  
  
"I'm not all the time..."  
  
"Yeah, ya are, Pip, just get over it," Merry smirked.  
  
"Well, Frodo, will you?" Pippin asked eagerly.  
  
"Nah, I don't feel up to it tonight, Pip. Perhaps tomorrow night, though," Frodo replied. Pippin frowned and tried puppy dog eyes but it didn't work. Feeling defeated, he dragged Merry away back into the mass of hobbits on the dance floor.  
  
"Do you guys want to head back to Bag End?" Frodo asked us.  
  
"Sure," I replied before Lauren could ask anything. Frodo started out, with Lauren and me following behind.  
  
"Bag End?" she whispered in my ear.  
  
"Yeah, that's what he calls his home." All I got was a look of confusion. "Don't ask."  
  
On the way out we called good bye to our friends, and when we reached Poppy and her gang's table, they gave us death looks. Frodo just ran ahead and out the door. As for Lauren and myself however, we just stood at their table smiling.  
  
"Well, how's your night going so far, Poppy?" Lauren asked with a sweet innocent smile.  
  
"Oh, it could have been better," she replied nastily, "Much better."  
  
"Sorry to hear that," Lauren said sarcastically. We both went to go out the door when I heard, "If it wasn't for that no good, ugly, piece of hobbit filth, her new 'boyfriend', and you..." ::Oh, was she gonna pay that she ever said that.:: I abruptly stopped and grabbed Lauren's arm, stopping her with me. The whole room went silent, waiting for how we would react. I spun around and glared. Lauren however, ran back up to their table, picked up a mug of ale off of it and poured it over Poppy's head, and proudly strode back over to me.  
  
"Good thing you handled that, it could have gotten ugly if I had tried," I laughed.  
  
"Well, that was only a taste of what's going to happen if she continues." We turned around ready to go out the door when we saw Frodo leaning against it, arms folded across his chest, smirking.  
  
"Ya know Frodo, you really need to learn how to stick up for yourself," I commented.  
  
"Well, I guess I'll learn quick; you two are just as good as Merry and Pippin, if not better."  
  
~*~  
  
Back in my room, Lauren was sitting on my bed playing with her hair. "So, how are your heels feelin'?"  
  
"Ah, a lot better actually. It's a wonder how much faster everything heals when you give it the chance to and rest it. I can put pressure on it slightly, not much though, and the swelling's gone down a lot."  
  
"Well, that's good." She let her hair down and sat back, dazing off into space, a small smile appearing on her lips.  
  
"Watcha thinking about?" I asked waving a hand in front of her face.  
  
"Oh," she snapped out of her thoughts, "Um, nothing."  
  
"Riight," I said and poked her. "So, how do you like it here?"  
  
"I love it, well, almost all of it, except Poppy."  
  
"Can't forget her clones."  
  
"Ah, yeah, and her mini-me's as well." She added, "How long do you think we'll be here?"  
  
"Don't know, I hope for a while though."  
  
"Yeah, but do you have any idea on how we even got here in the first place?"  
  
I thought about that for a moment, "No, haven't got the slightest clue."  
  
"What did Frodo say when you told him?"  
  
"He said that it must of been magic, and what else could it be? Like if I wasn't sleeping in my bed last, I probably would have said that we died and this is where we ended up, but now, I just don't know."  
  
"Maybe we can write to Gandalf and ask him?" Lauren suggested.  
  
"No," I said, "We haven't met him yet, and I don't want them to know about the books. It would seem very weird if we brought him up and we haven't even heard anyone talk about him around us."  
  
"Alright, you're right. But what do you intend on doing? I plan on finding out why we were brought here."  
  
"And what the date is," I added, "You can't forget about the war and what happens."  
  
"Maybe that's why we were brought here, to help them on the quest."  
  
"I doubt it, Frodo looks and acts a lot younger then what he was described and portrait as in the books and movies."  
  
"But maybe they wanted us to make friends with them and gain their trust first?" she argued.  
  
"Perhaps, I guess. I'm just at a loss."  
  
She sighed, "Alright, I think I'm gonna go to bed now." She rose off of my bed and walked over to the bathroom that connected to her room. She stood in the doorframe, lost in thought.  
  
"So, what did you think of your dream dates from back home, Merry and Pippin?" I asked her with a smile.  
  
She looked up from her gaze at the floor, "Very cute."  
  
"Aww, come on! You can't even tell me that you didn't notice the looks Merry was giving you."  
  
"What are you talking about? He was merely being friendly."  
  
"Friendly my ass. I think he likes you."  
  
"He doesn't even know me! How could he like me?"  
  
"Just by the way he was looking at you I could tell, but you should really go to bed now, you don't wanna look tired for Mr. Merry tomorrow!" I teased.  
  
"Riight....'night." she mumbled sleepily and made her way into her room.  
  
"Night," I called after her and crawled into my bed, questions buzzing through my head, drifting off into a dreamy sleep.  
  
~*~  
  
So, yeah, how was that? If it was confusing, you have my apologies cuz I'm high on drowsy cough medicine right now. And wow, this is my last chapter of 2003 ever. (With only a half hour to spare too!) Cool! Okay, people, you know what to do, please REVIEW!!!  
  
Happy New Year's Guys! 2004 is gonna be great!  
  
Crazzymonkeys Rock!  
  
~*~Rocky~*~ 


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1. _

**Reviewers!**

Lady Light: 

Glad you like it! Thanks, same back to you hun! 

Janina: 

Quite alright:) I appreciate your review! 

Skitty: 

Thanks for your concern. I'm feelin' much better, of course that we're back in school now. Arg, ain't it always the way? Lol. 

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 7_

"Kat... Kat... come on, Kate! Wake up already!" And I awoke receiving a jab in the ribs. 

"Ouch... what was that for?" I asked my baby sister sleepily while sitting up. She was sitting on the edge of my bed smiling. 

"I've only been trying to get you up for a half hour now," she replied, "Kinda had to do that to get you up." 

"Oi, what time is it?" I asked. She looked at her watch. 

"7:45." 

"If I was at home I would be walking into the gym now. I hope the rest of the Morning Crew is okay." 

"Doubt it, betcha anything that Jill's worried sick about you." Lauren said. I got up out of bed and got ready. 

"Yeah, suppose so. But it's not like we intended on coming here, actually we were kinda dumped here, is more like it." 

"Yup, totally agree on that, but I would most definitely rather be here than at home." 

"Damn right," I said smiling. 

She got up off my bed and I followed her as she walked into her room. She went over to the nightstand beside her bed, opened the drawer, rummaged through it, and pulled something out. She walked back to me with her hand outstretched. "I believe this is yours." She dropped my birthstone ring into my hand. 

"My lucky ring... " I said as I examined my gold opal ring in the palm of my hand before sliding it onto my left ring finger. "How did you get this?" 

"Well, when I found out that you were missing and before Ma locked me in the basement, I went into your room to see if it was there, cuz I knew you always wear it when not expecting to go to gym. When I found it in your jewelry box, I knew you didn't run away." 

"Thank you so much," I said as I hugged her. 

"Don't thank me. I just took it to remind me of you." 

"So? You still kept it safe." 

"Ah, it was nothing." 

Then there was a knock at the door. "Hey guys! It's Lily! Can I come in?" 

"Yeah, come on in!" Lauren shouted. Lily entered the room smiling. 

"So, what are ya guys up to?" she asked. 

"Not much, just finished getting ready," I said. 

"Did Merry and Pippin come to visit as well?" Lauren asked her. 

"Sam too. Come on, we're going to take you two to our spot today." And she led us to the kitchen. 

"So, Mr. Frodo? Was last night great, or what?" Sam asked. Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin were all sitting at Frodo's kitchen table drinking tea. 

"Yeah, last night was pretty funny." 

"Pretty funny? It was hilarious!" Pippin exclaimed. "Hum, and to think, two new lasses on their first time down there ended up making a bigger scene then we have ever done, Merry. It's quite unfair if you ask me." 

"Actually, I think what they did was fair indeed. Poppy had it coming, though I never thought she would get it that soon, and especially from two new lasses no doubt," Merry said while sipping his tea in thought. 

"Well, well, well, are you guys still talking about what happened last night?" I asked while strolling into the kitchen with Lauren and Lily right behind me. 

"Yeah, you really have to get over that. If anything like what Poppy did happens again, we will take action again, and we will probably get worse," Lauren commented. 

"Worse?" Lily asked, "I hardly doubt they'll do anything again." 

"Sure they will, to get revenge of course," said Lauren, "And besides, Kat and I have gone through this many times before ourselves during our sports." 

"Hey, we didn't get tortured by conditioning and bodily and mental pain all our life just from our sport, you know," I joked. I got strange looks from all our new friends. "When my heels are fully heeled, I'll give you a demonstration of what I'm talking about." But I had Pippin's attention. 

"Sport? What kind of sport did you do?" 

"Well, I'm an ice skater and Kat's a gymnast," Lauren said. 

"We skate sometimes on the pond during the winter," said Frodo, "And I know some kids down the row do cartwheels up in the fields." 

"Doubt you have ever seen anything like we do before though," I said. 

"Alrighty, now, where are we going today?" Lauren asked. 

"Hey, this is where.." 

"This is our secret spot. Hardly anyone comes back here, so we decided to get together in this clearing," Sam explained to me. I looked around the clearing again _**"Hey, Frodo, isn't this where you found me the other day?"**_

_**"Yeah. Still can't believe you ended up here of all places."**_

"Cool, this is kinda like a hangout!" said Lauren, "Do you guys chill here often?" More odd looks. 

_**Lauren, may I remind you that they don't use our "lingo" so to speak.**_ I said. _**They have no idea what you're saying.**_

"Oh, yeah, oops." She thought for a second. "So, do you guys "get together" here often?" 

"Yeah, we either go here or the Green Dragon," replied Merry. 

"But why do you only go to here or the there?" I asked, "Must get boring going to the same places and doing the same things all the time." 

"It's for the better. No one bothers us out here," Lily explained. 

We sat in the trees, looking up at the clouds rolling by, pointing out various shapes and animals they made. It was quite peaceful spending time out here with all of them. 

"I wish we could stay out here forever," Lily said. 

"Why is that?" asked Sam. 

"I don't know," she replied slowly, "Perhaps it's because I love spending time with you guys out here and we aren't pestered by anyone; we can just spend time together without any trouble." 

The days flew by fast, with pretty much the same schedule day by day. Either I'd wake up by Lauren jabbing me in the ribs or I'd wake her up by jabbing her, we'd make breakfast for ourselves and for Frodo, then read, and when my heels finally got better I'd condition us. (Hey, it took a lot to gain the muscles we have, we weren't just gonna throw it away that easily.) And our small little gang always got together at like 4:00; we'd always go to our "secluded spot" and then off to the Green Dragon for the rest of the night. We bonded really well with the gang, and loved to spend time with them. Before we knew it, we'd been in Middle Earth for two weeks, and Bilbo was expected coming home any day soon. 

"What are you gonna say to Bilbo if he asks about us?" Lauren asked on our way to the secret spot, "Is he gonna be mad at you for letting us stay with you?" 

"Nah, I think he'll like you guys very much actually. He only likes people who respect us, which, being part of our, what did you call it?" 

"Gang," I replied. 

"Yes, well, you two being part of our gang now, I know he won't mind." 

"Yeah, but is he really gonna believe us that we're not from here?" I argued. 

"He's going to, believe me. It's not that hard to tell that you two are different anyway," said Frodo. 

"Hey, what's that suppose to mean?" We asked in union. 

"Different isn't bad you know. It's just that, well, you refuse to wear dresses, you talk weird, and you have an accent that no one has ever heard before." 

I shuddered. "Evil dresses." 

"Alright, good points," said Lauren while she hit me to stop shaking and muttering. We entered the clearing to find Merry and Pippin rolling around on the ground and Lily just watching in amusement. 

"What are they doing?" Frodo asked as we walked up to Lily. 

"Don't know, we were sitting over there a while ago and Pippin stood up and Merry tackled him randomly. They've been at it for a while now." They stopped tackling each other and stood up. 

"Hey guys!" Pippin squeaked while coming over to us. 

"What was that all about?" Lauren asked. 

"Nothing, we were just bored and wanted something to do while we waited for you." 

"Riight." 

"Is Sam coming today?" Merry asked. 

"No, he had to help his Gaffer after he worked on Bag End today, but he said he'll meet us at the Green Dragon tonight," explained Frodo. 

"So, what do you guys want to do today?" I asked. 

"Well, we were thinking of taking a visit to Farmer Maggot's crop," said Merry. 

"No, thanks," Frodo replied. 

"Well, then I guess it will be just the five of us?" Lily asked. 

"What exactly are we doing at Farmer Maggot's crop?" Lauren asked. 

"They're gonna steal mushrooms," Frodo said. 

"What about you, Lauren? Gonna come?" Merry asked. 

"Sure! Why not? That sounds like fun!" she replied happily. 

"Nah, that's okay. I'll pass," I replied. 

"Well, come on now! We must get going! Can't let those mushrooms wait any longer!" Pippin said anxiously while pushing the other three ahead. 

"See you guys later!" they called. Lauren turned her head to face me, smiled and did a little salute before following them out of the clearing. 

"Have they done this before?" I asked Frodo while he sat himself down on a large rock. 

"Many. They've been doing it since they were small. I use to go with them when I was younger, but that was until Mr. Maggot's dog chased me for miles and up a tree. Never liked dogs, always been scared of them terribly. Ever since that happened, I haven't gone with them since." 

"Oh." 

"How come you didn't go?" 

"Well, I couldn't just leave you here all by your lonesome now, could I?" 

"Yeah, but, I'm use to it. You could have gone if you wanted to." 

"That's not the point," I argued. I laid myself down on the soft grass, looking up at the clouds. "So, what do you wanna do today?" 

"Dunno." He got up off the rock and lay next to me. Leaves started to fall off the trees and danced in the wind. "I love autumn, it's my favorite time of the year. It's a pity winter's coming though, it's gonna get cold fast and pretty soon we're not going to be able to do this." 

"Do what?" 

"Just sit out here and look into the sky. It's so big, I often wonder how far it really goes." 

I started to trace the outline of the clouds with my finger. "Frodo?" 

"Yeah?" 

"What's today's date?" 

"October the 25th of the year 3013." 

I sat in thought. "Five years...right? Yes, 3018 is the year. A little less than five years...wait, October 25. That rings a bell..." I muttered to myself. 

Frodo propped himself up on his elbows. "What's gonna happen in five years?" he questioned with an eyebrow raised. He snapped me out of my trance. 

"Oh, um, uh, nothing. Don't mind me, I tend to ramble on to myself about nothing most of the time." 

"Alright, whatever, then." 

We fell silent for a while. I wanted to tell Frodo about the ring, and the whole miserable quest, but knew that I couldn't. 

Kinda pointless chapter, I know, but it needed to be done. Anyways, I saw ROTK for the second time today! Jumps up and down and starts giggling like an idiot Even better seeing it the second time 'round if you ask me. I love the hobbits; they are just so cute! I just wanna hug 'em all to death! Don't ask me why, but I just have this thing with hobbits. Yeah, most people are crazed over elves. Beautiful, perfect, yadda, yada, yadda. They may be pretty and everything, but I'm just obsessed with the hobbits, Frodo and Pippin especially. :P Don't ask, I'm just weird like that. I'm always different. 

So, you guys know what to do, or at least I hope you do...for those of you who don't, please REVIEW! Come on, it's not that hard. Just push that little blue button and write a little something. 

-Rocky- 


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1. _

**Reviewers!**

Lady Light: 

Hehehe! Yuppers! Love that idea! Evil grins and evil laughter 

**Author's Notes**: 

This chappy had songs, but I had to cut them out due to ff dot net's new rules. So if it's choppy, that's why. I'll fix it up as soon as I get the chance. Please understand. :) 

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 8_

Lauren and I sat in the study, trying to catch up on the history of the Dark Lord, the Second Age, and racking our brains trying to remember what we memorized of the appendices a while back. 

"So, the year's 3013?" she asked while slamming a book shut. 

"Yeah. So, we have about five years, right? It all starts in 3018 if I remember correctly." 

"I think so. In September of 3018, I think. Soon after Frodo's birthday," she pondered. 

"Do you think that when the time comes that we should help?" I asked, "I know we can! We're strong enough, and it's not like they won't need the help." 

"Yeah, but, if we help, will we change what's suppose to happen? Just us being there may change it," she said. 

"But don't you find it weird that we showed up here almost exactly five years before it all happens? It almost seems like we're meant to help them." 

"If we were meant to help them, then why did we end up here so early before it takes place?" 

"To gain their trust, maybe?" I suggested. 

"Perhaps." 

Frodo opened the door a crack and peeped his head in. "Come on! Bilbo's back, and he's dying to meet you!" he almost squeaked as he quickly opened the door fully and started pulling us out to the entrance hall. 

Bilbo was an old, cheerful hobbit. Very pleasant to be around, his good mood seemed to lift yours by just spending a few moments and sharing a few words with him. _'No wonder Frodo adored him so much.'_ He seemed to like us well enough, just like Frodo said that he would. He believed us that we were from a very different place, and wanted to hear much about it, at a later time of course. And surprisingly, he didn't mind us staying with them in Bag End. He almost seemed, well, excited? 

As time wore on, and we became more accepted, liked, and comfortable with our new lives and friends, we started to notice some changes... Big changes. 

In the middle of that following December while pulling my, now much curlier hair, into a pony when I noticed my ears. They were pointed. I tied my hair up, and started to poke at my ears. _'Now this is weird.'_

"Hey, Lauren! Come take a look at this!" She walked calmly into the bathroom while tying her own curly hair up. 

"What's up?" she asked. I grabbed her arms and pointed at her own ears in the mirror; they were also pointed. "Whoa! That's so cool!" She started to trace the outline of her newly shaped ears. "How did this happen?" 

"Dunno, but I have a funny feeling that we're not humans." 

"What's that suppose to mean? We're elves?" 

"Oi.," I shook my head. "No, I think we're hobbits, or at least turning into them. Hobbits have curly hair, pointed ears, and hairy feet." 

"I don't have hairy feet," she argued. I simply bent down and lightly brushed the top of her foot. 

"Well, ya startin' to now." 

"Hum. Maybe this ain't so bad..." she said as she took a look at herself in the mirror. 

"Ready to go condition yet?" I asked her impatiently. 

"Yeah, I guess so." 

We made our way out of our rooms and started toward the entrance hall. We grabbed our sweatshirts off of the hooks and pulled them over our heads. 

"Where are you two going?" Startled, we spun around to find Frodo leaning against the doorframe of the study. He chuckled. "Are you gonna go exercise?" 

"Um, yeah," Lauren answered, "We have to keep up our endurance, it would be such a waste to have worked so hard for so long then just stop cuz we aren't able to go to our normal practices." 

"Although, I really don't mind not going to practice, I think I like what we do now much better. We get a lot more done," I said. 

"Can I come with you? Awhile back you guys said that you would show me what you guys do for your sports." 

"Sure, why not!" Lauren said. "I can't really show you how I skate cuz the pond's not frozen yet, but Kat will show you some tricks, won't ya Kat?" 

"Alright! Now come on, we don't have all day! We still have to meet the gang at the Green Dragon tonight," I said while pushing them out the door. 

"One.. .two... three... four... " We hung upside-down hanging from a low tree branch by our knees doing sit-ups. "Five... six... seven... eight... nine... " 

"Ten!" I called out happily and let my knees relax and flipped to the ground. 

"Now that looked fun!" Frodo said. 

"What, sit-ups? Nah, they're not as fun as they look," I said. 

"Not the sit-ups, that flip thing you did to get off," he said. 

"Oh! Yeah, that is pretty fun." I smiled. 

"Arr, I hurt. You made us do a lot today," Lauren complained while letting herself down from the branch slowly. 

"Aww, come on, it wasn't that much," I teased. 

"Not that much! You only made us run three miles!" she argued. 

"Aye, that did look like a lot. My body hurt just watching you two," said Frodo. 

"Well, I think since Kat had her fun by torturing me today, that she should show you a few of her skills," Lauren said with an evil grin. 

"Oi va voi... " I grumbled. Frodo gave Lauren a questioning look. 

"She doesn't like to show off much," she whispered in his ear. 

"Oh." 

"Come on now, Kat! Frodo wants to see some tricks, don't ya Frodo?" 

I refused, about a million times, then after I couldn't take them bugging me anymore, I did a standing back tuck. Frodo clapped. 

"Fine, I did a tuck. Happy, Lauren?" 

"Seriously, you could at least show him some giants." 

"Alright! I'll do a couple giants, but that's it!" I jumped up to a slightly higher branch, one that I couldn't hit my feet on the ground, and swung a few times up and over in a circular motion a few times and on the last one let go to flip and land. "Satisfied, now?" 

Frodo sat in shock. "Wow, that was... amazing!" 

"No, that was pretty damn cool, and she can do even cooler than that, but of course my sister is stubborn." She smiled, "Yeah, I suppose I'm satisfied enough." 

"How do you did you do that?" Frodo asked me. 

"Dunno, I just kinda do it. I don't really think about it, I just go and swing." 

Later on at the Green Dragon that night, we saw Poppy and her group for the first time in there since the "incidents." They kept to themselves and hardly talked to anyone. They stayed in a corner and kept taking weird glances at or gang. 

"Do you suppose they'll try anything tonight?" Merry asked Lauren. 

"They might, and you'll never know 'till they actually try something," she replied. 

"I think they will," Rosie said from behind the counter while washing some mugs and dishes. "They've been eyeing us awkwardly since they walked in and saw us over here. And they haven't been talking to anyone either, they hardly spoke to me when I went to go get their order, I had to almost pry it out of them. If you ask me, I think they're up to no good." Their conversation was interrupted by several hobbits in the pub. Frodo, Pippin, Lily, and Kat were sitting on a table in the middle of the pub trying to convince Frodo to sing, along with the rest of the pub. 

"Come on, Frodo!" several hobbits shouted from around the pub. 

"Yeah, Frodo, you heard me sing and I showed you some of my skills today. The least you could do is return the favor," I teased. 

"Oh, alright." He stood up on top of the table and began to sing. He sang a song of some sort of inn, and right in the end of the song, he found himself caught up inside of a net hanging from the ceiling. Enormous bellows of laughter came from Poppy and her minions. She proudly strode over to the net and playfully spun it around. 

"I told you never to mess with me, Frodo, I told you. I always get people back for their wrongful actions. Always," she mocked while laughing evilly. She spun the net again, making Frodo feel sick. She walked to the middle of the floor and looked around. "Well, look, Little Weirdo, it seems that all of your friends have deserted you. Some friends you h-ave!" 

At the same time, Pippin, Sam, and Merry cut the net and helped Frodo down, while Lauren and myself climbed up into the rafters and hoisted Poppy off the ground and turning her upside-down, holding her legs secure to rafter. "Let me down! Let me down!" she cried horrified. We simply let go of her and jumped back to the ground while her group of clones caught her. 

"So, I suppose this is war," she asked with anger in her eyes. 

"Let the competition begin," Lauren said just as angry. 

"But let me remind you of this," I said. I stepped right in front of her, grabbed her arm, and flipped her over to her back, knocking the wind out of her. "Revenge is sweet." 

Hahaha! For some reason I had a lot of fun with this chapter. Well, hope you people liked, and please review! It would make me very happy if you did... 

-Rocky- 


	9. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1. _

**Reviewers!**

Skitty: 

Yess, I have some nice trickses to pull out of my sleeve. Evil laughter 

Lady Light: 

Yeah, I had bunches of fun typing that last chappy. Lol. 

Blue Jedi Hobbit 009: 

Hum, the story itself isn't that angsty, now is it? But I found the story behind the story angsty, how Kat and Lauren's lives were like before they found themselves in M.E (the mental and physical pain they were put through everyday), and how Poppy put Frodo through a lot of pain and humiliation before he met Kat and Lauren. Lol, I think anyone who spends their free time typing LOTR fanfiction is obsessed. Myself included in that huge mass of crazed teenagers. XD 

**Author's Notes**: 

This chappy had songs, but I had to cut them out due to ff dot net's new rules. So if it's choppy, that's why. I'll fix it up as soon as I get the chance. Please understand. :) 

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 9_

"Will Poppy ever learn?" Lauren asked one afternoon while eating luncheon with Frodo and I. "Will she ever stop? We've been at it for like months! She pulls a stunt, and we get her back for it. She pulls another prank, we get her back. She does yet another thing to try and brake us, and we still kick her ass. And..." 

"Jeez, Lauren! We get the point already!" I said. 

"Yeah, but, didn't we start this in the winter? It's like the beginning of June now. Doesn't she realize that whatever she does, whatever she tries, we will always beat her and be better than her?" she asked. 

"Doubt it, she's too stubborn and stupid," Frodo said. "You would have thought that after we left that message on her front yard she would have stopped." 

"That was pretty funny," Lauren giggled. I could still remember in early April pouring salt on her front lawn to cause the grass to die, and how about a month later when grass grew around the dead grass reviling our message, "The Weirdo's Strike Back!" Her father saw it and had a conniption fit and punished her, and to be completely honest, I think she still is and will be till the message finally fades away. I would have paid money to see that happen again. 

"Yeah, that was our best yet," I said, "But, I think that we can do better." 

"Better?" Frodo asked. 

"Much better." 

"You are gonna dance!" Lily said to Lauren as soon as I told her how she didn't like to. 

"No, I'm not!" 

"Oh, yes you are!" I said as Lily and I stood up and began to drag Lauren out of her chair and across the pub. 

"I can't dance!" she protested. 

"Lauren, you're a figure skater, you've been dancing on ice almost all your life, of course you can dance," I said. 

"Yeah, when you showed us all those pretty spins and stuff a few months ago it was really beautiful!" Lily said. 

"And besides, I've seen you dance before," I said. 

"Okay, maybe I can dance, I just don't like to. And besides, who am I gonna dance with?" she asked with a mocking smile while looking around. 

"We can definitely find you someone," Lily smirked. 

"Yeah, we know just who to drag you to," I grinned. Lily and I have secretly planned to play matchmaker and set Lauren up with Merry cuz we both know they like each other. 

"Oh, Merry!" we both called in union. 

Very proud of ourselves, we sat back and watched our two victims go according to plan. There was a lively dance going on, and Merry was trying to teach it to Lauren. Lauren caught on somewhat quickly and began dancing it well before the song ended. After they finished, they came over to us. 

"Kat, can I ask you a favor?" Lauren asked. 

"Depends on what it is," I smirked as Merry put his arm around my sister's shoulders. 

"We want you to dance with Frodo," Lauren said with her evil smile. :Oh, great comeback, I was planning on making Frodo dance anyways.: 

"Sure!" I said happily, "I've been meaning to make Frodo dance ever since my first night down here and he told me that he just doesn't." I said this with a mocking smile at Lauren who just scowled playfully back at me. 

"Well, I was wondering..." Lauren said grinning. 

"What, I'm afraid to ask." 

"Well, Merry taught me a new dance when I didn't want to, so if, or should I say when, you get Frodo out there, I think you should teach him how we danced back at home." 

"Okay, first of all, I'm not gonna grind with him. Second of all, the music here doesn't have the same beat as the music back home so it wouldn't even be close to the same." 

Merry and Lily looked at each other confused, "Grind?" 

"I know you're gonna kill me, but I have a little something to show the band up there and maybe they can come close to it." She pulled her cd walkman out of her baggy sweatshirt pocket. 

"You have got to be kidding me!" I exclaimed while snatching the precious walkman out of her hands and started petting it. "How come you didn't tell me?" 

"I didn't want to burn the batteries out," she said while shrugging her shoulders, "And I know how much you love music, so that battery would have been gone in less than a day. It's taken almost all of my will power not to burn them out myself." 

"Oh, yeah. Good point," I mumbled. 

"Well," she said while taking the walkman back, "I think we should have the band listen to something and see if they can play something like it." 

"Yeah!" We left Merry and Lily standing there confused, and went over to the stage in the front right corner of the pub. Lauren talked to the leader of the band for a few minutes, and eventually he agreed to try. I put the headphones around his head (kind of took some convincing to have him keep them on) and Lauren scrolled through the tracks, trying to find the right one. 

"Aha! Can you do this one?" Lauren screamed trying to have him hear him above the music in his ears. He listened for a moment, tapping his foot to the beat. He then took the headphones off and had the rest of the band listen also. They murmured amongst themselves, then the leader turned back to us. 

"Maybe, we'll try. We can't promise anything, but we'll try to give you the tune the best we can," the chubby leader said. "We can't sing those lyrics, so we'll just do our best." 

"No worries, we can sing 'em!" Lauren said while dragging me away from the stage. 

It took a while for the band to get the tune right, but as soon as they were close, I knew what song Lauren told them to try and play. 

"Great choice, Lauren," I said as I we waited for the band to finish getting the timing right. 

"Yup! Isn't it? I love this song!" she giggled. 

"I know Frodo isn't gonna dance," I told her. 

"Who says that he has a say if he is or isn't?" she asked with an evil grin. 

"What do you mean by that?" 

"You know, you know. You've done it before at that gym Christmas party, remember?" 

The leader motioned us to come to the stage. We got up from our seats quickly and ran over. "Does that sound like it?" he asked. 

"Brilliant!" Lauren squeaked. 

"Do you want us to play it now?" 

"Yuppers!" 

"Oh, boy, here we go.." I said as the tune started. I was actually pretty nervous. _'How is Frodo gonna react?'_

Hobbits started to form a circle around us on the dance floor. They were all kinda scared but excited about the new music they heard. Needless to say, Merry and Lily knew of our plan, and pushed Frodo with them to the front of the group. I then took a very shocked Frodo by the hand and dragged him out onto the floor with me as Lauren and I continued to sing. 

"I should have known you were gonna do this when Merry pushed me up front," Frodo complained while trying to copy my dance moves somewhat. "You dance weird where you come from." 

I could tell he was nervous, he was barely moving his feet. "Will you just relax and let the music do the dancing for you?" 

"I'm surprised people aren't laughing yet," he said. 

"Don't worry, they won't, either." 

The song finally ended, and the rest of our gang ran out into the dance floor and started jumping up and down cheering. 

"You got Frodo to dance!" Sam exclaimed grinning and playfully slapping Frodo on the back. 

"Wahoo! Didn't see that one coming!" said Pippin practically jumping on top of me. 

"You guys were great!" Rosie cried. "How do you do that?" 

"Do what?" Lauren asked. 

"Sing and dance like that." 

"Dance lessons and us singing together randomly on the weekends definitely have paid off," I smiled at Lauren who was also was also grinning from ear to ear nodding. What we didn't notice was that Poppy had just walked in during the middle of our song, and ran back out furious. 

OMG, I have Sectionals this weekend! And because it's my gym's invitational, I have to work the rest of the meets on Sunday. So I'm not gonna be able to write at all this weekend, so please be patient if the next chapter doesn't go up for a while. 

Okay, you people know what to do, please review and leave me a little message, it'll make me very happy if you do... 

-Rocky- 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimers: See chapter 1.  
  
Reviewers!!!  
  
Lady Light:  
  
Patience is a virtue. They will meet the fellowship in time. :-)  
  
Skitty:  
  
I know, I just had to put that in the last chapter! I was actually laughing while I was typing that and my parents thought I was going crazy! ...Wait, I already am...lol.  
  
~*~  
  
You're My Light in the Dark  
  
Chapter 10  
  
I was in a large, dark tunnel. I couldn't see anything, but I could feel eyes watching me, my every move. I could feel their presence everywhere. I started to run, I couldn't see where I was going; it was too dark to see what was around me.  
  
"Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, Ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul."  
  
I ran faster, trying to get away from the eyes and the dark voices inside my head.  
  
"Aarsh ukh burz, fush naan ruz. Izg, Burz Ash, paash urt! Izg fautu. Izg paash hon uk, agh latu."  
  
I couldn't understand the words being spoken, but they sounded scary and evil.  
  
"Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, Ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul. Izg hon latu."  
  
I tried to hide, but no matter where I ran, I could still feel the eyes...and then all of the darkness began to fade. I saw the Shire, all cheerful with it's rolling green hills and pretty colorful flowers...and then all of a sudden the nice familiar scene started to burn and turn dark. I saw hobbits working, being slaves to orcs and being tortured, locked up, and beaten as well.  
  
"Ya oantie uluck ev! Lelya aldamoo mi I avathar!" I heard a woman's voice say in elvish, it sounded almost as like a song, and the scene quickly disappeared and I was able to finally pop my eyes open.  
  
I abruptly sat up, breathing hard. I knew the time was coming, but I never thought it would come this fast. Or has it already started? I have to think, and think fast. The time has now come.  
  
~*~  
  
When Frodo went to go read by himself and get some peace and quiet, Lauren and I sat outside next to the road lying on the soft early autumn grass while I told her of my dream.  
  
"Did you see the eye?" she asked.  
  
"No, but I felt like someone was watching me, and I heard Elvish and I think the Black Speech. It sounded like the Elvish person made the person causing the dream to go away," I replied.  
  
"You do realize that Sauron made you have that dream, right?"  
  
"Of course I do. I just wish I understood what he said, or even remember it so that I can ask Gandalf when he comes later."  
  
"He's coming later?"  
  
"Don't tell me that you forgot that Frodo and Bilbo are having their big birthday bash tonight. You know, the one where Bilbo does his farewell speech," I said.  
  
"Yeah, I forgot, sorry."  
  
"Oi," I said while rolling on my side to face her, "Anyway, speaking of the party, is your "boyfriend" Merry taking you there?" I asked smiling.  
  
"Like, did he ask if he could court me there? Yeah," she replied turning a shade of pink.  
  
"Cool."  
  
~*~  
  
"Gandalf! Gandalf! Gandalf!" We heard some children shout from down the row. We stood up and looked down the street, and sure enough, we saw a large cart being pulled by a horse, and sitting holding the reins was an old man clad in gray with a big pointy hat and right beside him sat Frodo. "Gandalf! Fireworks, Gandalf, fireworks!" Right behind the cart was the group of children, wanting to see the bright spark of lights. Frodo looked up and smiled at Gandalf while he set off a butterfly firework for them to chase down the rest of the street.  
  
As the cart approached us, Frodo stood up, said something to the old wizard, and hopped off waving while running over to us.  
  
"So, Gan-oof!" Lauren started to say before I stomped on her foot and gave her a warning glance and cut in.  
  
"Who was that?"  
  
"Remember that story I told you about the dwarves and the dragon?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, Bilbo's been really good friends with Gandalf the wizard ever since then."  
  
"Magic's cool," Lauren said.  
  
"Just wait until you see his fireworks tonight! They are so awesome!" Frodo exclaimed.  
  
"Hey Frodo, have you seen Merry around? I have to meet him before the party," Lauren asked.  
  
"No, sorry, I haven't, but he and Pippin are probably raiding the party's food supply if I know them well enough."  
  
"Good point. Thanks!" she called and ran towards the tents set up in the party field.  
  
"Oi va voi.." I muttered under my breath.  
  
"Hey, she's your sister."  
  
"Ya, and surprisingly I still love her," I joked.  
  
~*~  
  
I stood in front of the mirror flattening the skirt of my blue dress with poofy short shoulder sleeves. "I can't believe I'm wearing a dress. Evil dresses, evil..dresses....evil..."  
  
"Will you just cut it out already? It's not that bad wearing a dress!" Lauren said while walking into my room wearing a forest green dress with the same type of sleeves.  
  
"Maybe not for you! You had to wear skating dresses everyday!"  
  
"Kat, that was like five years ago."  
  
"So...?"  
  
She sighed and shook her head. I looked back into the mirror and pulled a strand of hair out from behind my pointy ear and let it stay bouncing on my cheek. There was then a knock on the door.  
  
"Come in!" I called and Merry and Frodo came walking into the room.  
  
"You guys ready?" Merry asked while looking my sister over.  
  
"Yeah," Lauren replied while putting the finishing touches on the ribbon tying her hair back. Merry held out his arm for Lauren, who gladly excepted with a grin and they both strode out of the hobbit hole together. Frodo stood still awkwardly.  
  
"You alright, Frodo?" I asked.  
  
"Uh, yeah," he said while fidgeting his feet around uncomfortably and holding his arm out. "Care for me to escort you?"  
  
I smiled. "I would be honored, Birthday Boy." He blushed and I looped my arm under his. ::He's so cute when he's embarrassed.::  
  
~*~  
  
"Frodo, my friend, you have got to learn how to relax," Pippin teased while taking a sip of ale.  
  
"Aye, I'm beginning to think that you're even worse than Sam," Merry cut in.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Frodo laughed. He looked out to the dance floor where Kat, Lauren, Rosie, and Lily were trying to make up a dance. Lauren and Kat taught Rosie and Lily how they danced back where they came from and vice versa, and now the four of them were having a blast trying to mix the two dancing styles together, which resulted in doing something like the cotton-eyed joe with shimmies and twirls.  
  
"Hello?" Merry snapped his fingers in front of Frodo's nose. "You still with us?"  
  
"Oh, uh, yeah," Frodo said while snapping back into reality.  
  
"Yup, he definitely has it worse than either you or Sam, Merry," Pippin sighed while shaking his head.  
  
"What?" Frodo asked, "I haven't done anything!"  
  
"That's precisely the point, you haven't done anything, when you should've done something!" Pippin explained.  
  
"I'm confused..." Frodo said while shaking his head. "Whatever."  
  
He sat sipping at his ale, and picking at his plate of various meats and breads. He scanned the party. There were many drunken hobbits hanging all over the huge barrels of ale, Bilbo was sitting in front of a group of small children telling them of his adventures with the dragon and the treasure, and Gandalf was also entertaining a big group of kids with his fireworks. And the girls were still out dancing. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. He turned back to his table to find Merry and Pippin had gone to get more ale, Sam watching Rosie dance and every time she turned toward their table, he pretended that he wasn't watching.  
  
"Go on, Sam, ask Rosie for a dance."  
  
"I think I'll just go have another ale," he said while getting up to leave.  
  
"Uh, no you don't!" And he pushed him toward Rosie and they danced off. "Whoa!" What he didn't realize was that Merry and Pippin had just come back to see if they wanted to have a little fun, and they saw Frodo push Sam toward Rosie, so they decided to push Frodo right at Kat.  
  
"We are such good friends," Merry said grinning.  
  
"Now come on, Gandalf's not gonna be gone for long..." Pippin said smirking and they both ran off to cause mischief.  
  
~*~  
  
Wow! I can't believe I got this chapter out so fast! Don't mind my translations, I did the best I could.  
  
Omg, there was just this car accident that just happened in a small construction site thingy right behind my back yard, and the car just hit this metal box thing really hard, causing it to completely face the other direction then before. The impact caused my whole house to shake! And there are all these NH and MA State police cars, about every town police car, four fire trucks, two ambulances, oh, and here come two more town police cars. Wow! Has anyone played the games Grand Theft Auto 1, 2, 3, or Vice City? Well, that's the first thing that comes to my mind right now. Okay, I'm gonna go check the scene out, remember, please REVIEW!  
  
Translations:  
  
Black Speech:  
  
Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, Ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul - One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, One ring to bring them all, And in the darkness bind them.  
  
Aarsh ukh burz, fush naan ruz. Izg, Burz Ash, paash urt! Izg fautu. Izg paash hon uk, agh latu. - The days grow dark, slowly but surely. I, the Dark One, will rise. I am ready. I see all, and you.  
  
Izg hon latu - I see you.  
  
Elvish:  
  
Ya oantie uluck ev! Lelya aldamoo mi I avathar! - Be gone, Evil One! Go back into the shadows!  
  
~*~Rocky~*~ 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimers: See chapter 1.  
  
~*~  
  
Reviewers!!!  
  
Skitty:  
  
Surprisingly enough, it didn't take me as long as I thought it would to find a Black Speech dictionary. I found it on google, I think. :P? I'll put the link on my bio page when I get the chance.  
  
Lady Theadora:  
  
*Grins* Glad you enjoy it! Lol, just try and calm yourself, don't want ya to pass out and die on me. XD  
  
Kittykatt:  
  
Thankyas!  
  
Lady Light:  
  
I love all of my many silly ideas like that one, lol.  
  
~*~  
  
You're My Light in the Dark  
  
Chapter 11  
  
"Hey, Kat, check it out!" Lauren whispered to me while us girls were dancing.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Frodo's been starin' at you the whole time."  
  
"No he hasn't."  
  
"Oh yes he has! You're just oblivious to the fact that he is."  
  
"Is?"  
  
"Yeah, he is now too."  
  
I turned to face our table and sure enough he was, and when he saw me looking at him he blushed and started talking to Sam.  
  
"Who woulda thought, my older sister and Frodo Baggins."  
  
"Shut up, Lauren."  
  
"No, seriously, like I remember when we were back home watching the movies you would go gaga over that kid who played him," she said grinning. "Who woulda thought you would eventually marry the real guy, er, hobbit."  
  
"Who ever said that we would marry? And besides, who said I even like him?" I argued.  
  
"Come on, Kat, I know you do."  
  
"Okay, I do. But, come on, its not gonna go far even if we do hook up. He has his own destiny, you know what's gonna happen." I glanced back over at our table where I saw Sam stand up and Frodo grab his arm.  
  
"Come on, lets go hang with Lil and Rosie," she said and we tried to make our way back over to them when we saw Sam go flying at Rosie and they started spinning around in a jig.  
  
"Whoa!"  
  
I turned around and next thing I knew I was on ground with Frodo on top of me. "Ur, hi. Having fun, Frodo?" He lifted his head so his face was right in front of mine.  
  
"Yeah, actually I am." He stood up and helped me to my feet. "So sorry about that, Merry and Pippin decided they wanted to teach me how to fly."  
  
I laughed. "It's alright." I turned and saw Sam and Rosie were spinning about with a group of hobbits circled around them. "Where are those two imps anyway?" I asked looking around.  
  
"Dunno. They were over there just two seconds ago."  
  
"Oh, great, they're off causing trouble again."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"Don't ask, I just do," I replied. Right after I said that a tent went flying in the air and a huge dragon leapt out from underneath it. I turned back to Frodo. "Told ya."  
  
The dragon started to swoop down towards us. Mass confusion started among the guests. Hobbits running and screaming, children calling for their parents, and tables were being knocked over. And in the midst of all this, Bilbo was walking causally to the food tent. Frodo and I ran over to him.  
  
"Watch out for the dragon," Frodo said.  
  
"What dragon? There hasn't been a dragon in these parts for over a thousand ye-ars!" Bilbo managed to say while we knocked him to the ground as the dragon flew past our heads.  
  
We looked on as the dragon flew up into the air once again and blasted into a shower of sparks. Lauren came over to us and helped us to our feet.  
  
"When I find those two, I am gonna kill 'em!" she said. "I just got trampled by a group of children, literally."  
  
"Hey, he's your boyfriend," I laughed. She just scowled at me and went on her way trying to find them.  
  
"I feel sorry for them right now," Frodo said.  
  
"For Gandalf's cruel and unusual punishment or my baby sister's wrath?"  
  
"The combination of the two."  
  
~*~  
  
We were sitting back down at our, now somewhat broken table, eating ginormous pieces of cake when several hobbits demanded Bilbo make a speech.  
  
"Speech! Speech!"  
  
"Come on, Mr. Bilbo!"  
  
He reluctantly stood up, went to the front of the party, and placed himself on an empty barrel of ale.  
  
"My dear Bagginses and Boffins, Tooks and Brandybucks, Gubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers, Bolgers, Bracegirdles, Tamsins, and Proudfoots!"  
  
"Proudfeet!" an old Proudfoot shouted.  
  
"Proudfoots," he continued, "Today is my one hundred and eleventh birthday! Alas, eleventy one years is much too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits! I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve!" Everyone sat silent for a moment trying to figure out what he had said. He put his hands behind his back. "I have things to do. I've put this off for far too long. I regret to announce this is the end! I'm going now. I bid you all a very fond farewell!" he took a last long look at Frodo. "Goodbye." And he slipped on the ring and vanished.  
  
Everyone sat still, bewildered. They all just stared at the spot Bilbo was in two seconds ago, as if he was gonna reappear.  
  
"I can't believe it," Frodo thought aloud, "He'd been talking for so long about leaving, I doubted he would really do it."  
  
I stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, there's no need to worry. He's just staying with the elves."  
  
"What if I never see him again?"  
  
"You will, I can promise you that."  
  
"How do you know that I will, though?"  
  
"Just think of what I said about Merry and Pippin earlier and trust me on that."  
  
~*~  
  
"Bilbo!" Frodo called as he ran into Bag End. "Bilbo?" He looked down at his feet and picked up the ring Bilbo had left on the floor right in front of the door. I ran right in after him and ended up bumping into him. I saw the ring, with all of it's evil gleaming, in his outstretched hand.  
  
::Nasty, evil ring.::  
  
Frodo sighed. "He's really gone then." He looked into the study where Gandalf was sitting in front of the fireplace smoking his pipe, muttering to himself. "Gandalf?" We walked into the study and Gandalf saw that Frodo had the ring.  
  
"Bilbo's ring. He's gone to stay with the elves. He's left you Bag End, along with all of his possessions." Gandalf held out an envelope and Frodo slipped the ring inside. Gandalf sealed it with a wax seal and held it out to Frodo. "The ring is yours now." Frodo looked at him oddly as he took the envelope back from him. "Put it somewhere out of sight," he said as he rose from his chair and headed for the door, Frodo following him.  
  
"Wait! Where are you going?" Frodo asked.  
  
"There are things that I must see to."  
  
"What things?"  
  
"Questions, questions that need answering."  
  
"But you've only just arrived! I don't understand," Frodo said just as Gandalf reached the door. He turned around and gave him an apologetic look.  
  
"Neither do I," he knelt down and put a hand on Frodo's shoulder. "Keep it secret, keep it safe." He glanced over at me, "That goes for you too." And with that he turned and left.  
  
Frodo glanced down at the envelope in his hand. "I have never seen Gandalf like that before. He was acting..strange."  
  
"Paranoid is more like it," I said.  
  
"Aye. Now where should I put this?"  
  
~*~  
  
Oi, I hope that wasn't too much like the movie. :P I'm trying not to go by it too much, it would annoy me to like rewrite the whole movie, if ya know what I mean. But, whatever. So, you people know the drill, press the button, leave a lil' somethin', and you make me very happy. (Yes, I am *such* a loser, I know. But it's true, my sister was very scared of me when I checked my email yesterday and I had four new reviews waiting for me. I love you guys, you rock!)  
  
~*~Rocky~*~ 


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimers: See chapter 1.  
  
~*~  
  
Reviewers!!!  
  
Skitty:  
  
Don't worry, I'm sure your story will come out great. I would also be more than happy to read it. :-)  
  
Lady Theadora:  
  
I'm flattered! Thankya!  
  
Lady Light:  
  
Yes, they will meet Mr. Strider in good time. :-)  
  
~*~  
  
You're My Light in the Dark  
  
Chapter 12  
  
"Oi, my sister drunk, is not a pretty sight," I laughed as Lauren jumped onto a table and started jumping around, dancing, and saying really stupid stuff. Pretty soon, Merry, Pippin, and Lily were up there joining her.  
  
"I agree," Frodo said as Pippin slipped on some ale, falling right onto Merry and ended up pushing them both off the table with a thud.  
  
"How they get such a kick of making fools of themselves I will never figure out," Sam said shaking his head.  
  
"Yeah, they're amusing to watch, but after a while it gets annoying," Frodo said. He stood up. "I'm gonna go get some fresh air, wanna come Kat?"  
  
"Yeah," I said standing up. "Sam, can you keep an eye on them?" I laughed, "When I said that it kinda sounded like I was talking about a group of kids."  
  
"They basically are a group of kids, but sure, I'll make sure they don't kill themselves."  
  
"Thanks!" I called while we walked out. As soon as we shut the door to the pub he heard a great bang and lots of yelling. We both looked at each other with questioning looks. We were about to head back inside to see what the racket was about when the doors slammed open and out ran Pippin with Lily on his tail.  
  
"Get back here you Took!" She yelled.  
  
"No, you Proudfoot!"  
  
Soon after Sam, Lauren, and Merry ran out after them. She ended up chasing him out of sight with them close behind trying to convince Lily not to kill him.  
  
"I don't even want to know," Frodo said.  
  
"I'm afraid to know."  
  
"Well, I suppose we should head home, just so that we down get trampled by the wild stampede that's running about the Shire freely right now."  
  
"Yeah, that sounds like a plan."  
  
~*~  
  
We opened the door to Bag End and it was all was dark. The window was open in the study and was allowing a blowing, cold breeze into the house.  
  
"Spooky," I whispered as we walked into the study. Behind me I heard Frodo gasp and I whipped around to find Gandalf holding Frodo by the shoulders and looking very on edge.  
  
"Is it secret? Is it safe?" he asked urgently.  
  
"Uh, yeah," Frodo said as he walked over to a crate in the corner and began to rummage through it. "Aha," he said as he pulled out the envelope from the bottom. Gandalf quickly ran over to the fire and threw it in. "What are you doing?" Frodo asked alarmed. The envelope quickly burned to a crisp, revealing the nasty evil ring. Gandalf removed it from the fire with a pair of tongs.  
  
"Hold out your hand, Frodo. It's quite cool," Gandalf said as he dropped the ring into Frodo's outstretched hand. "What can you see? Can you see anything?"  
  
He looked at Gandalf like he had just lost his marbles and began to study the ring. "Nothing. There's nothing. Wait...." he examined it closer and his eyes grew wide, "There are markings. It's some form of Elvish, but I can't read it."  
  
"There are few who can. The language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here," Gandalf said.  
  
"Mordor?" Frodo asked.  
  
"In the common tongue, it reads-"  
  
"One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them. One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them," I finished. They both turned to me; bewildered.  
  
"How did you know that?" Gandalf asked.  
  
"I read it in a book a very long time ago." ::Hey, I wasn't exactly lying, just kinda left out a few details.::  
  
~*~  
  
"This is the one ring, forged by Sauron in the fires of Mount Doom. Isildur took it from the hand of Sauron himself," Gandalf explained.  
  
"Bilbo found it, in Gollum's cave," Frodo thought aloud.  
  
"For sixty years, it lay quiet in Bilbo's keeping, prolonging his life, delaying old age. But no longer." Lauren then barged into Bag End, making Gandalf jump for his staff.  
  
"Hey, cool! Is this a party? Oh, yeah, you're tellin' Frodo all about that evil ring, right? Did ya already get to the good part about Isildur? Huh, did ya?"  
  
I held my face in my hands. ::Of all the days for Lauren to get shit- faced. Just my luck, as always.:: She then placed herself in a chair by the fire and fell asleep.  
  
Gandalf looked at her oddly for a few moments then continued, "There is evil stirring in Mordor. The Ring has awoken. It's heard its master's call."  
  
"But he was destroyed. Sauron was destroyed," Frodo argued. Weird whispers came from the ring that was placed out on the table.  
  
"No, Frodo. His spirit endured. Sauron's life-force was bound to the Ring, and the Ring survived. Sauron has returned. His orcs have multiplied. His fortress of Barad-Dur is rebuilt in Mordor. He needs only this Ring to cover all the lands in a second darkness. He is seeking it, seeking it, all his thought is bent on it. The Ring yearns above all else to return to the hand of its master. They are one, the Ring and the Dark Lord. He must never find it," Gandalf said.  
  
Frodo then grabbed the ring off of the table. "All right, we keep it hidden. We put it away, and never speak of it again. No one knows it's here, do they?" Gandalf kept silent.  
  
"You're forgetting about Gollum, Frodo," I said. "He knew Bilbo took it."  
  
"I looked everywhere for the creature Gollum, but the Enemy found him first. I don't know how long they tortured him, but amid the endless screams and insane babble, they heard two words. Shire. Baggins."  
  
"Shire..Baggins! But that would lead them here!" Frodo cried out in alarm, his eyes widening in horror. "Take it, Gandalf, you must take it!"  
  
"You cannot offer me this ring!"  
  
"I am giving it to you!"  
  
"Don't tempt me, Frodo!" Gandalf stammered. "I dare not take this ring, not even to keep it safe. I would use this ring for the desire to do good, but through me, it will wield a power to great and powerful to imagine."  
  
"But it cannot stay in the Shire!" he cried.  
  
"No. No, it can't."  
  
Frodo bites his lip and closes his hand around the ring. "What must I do?"  
  
~*~  
  
All packed and ready to go, Frodo, Lauren, and I were back in the study. Lauren yawned.  
  
*Of all the days for you to pick to get drunk, Lauren.*  
  
*It's kinda wearing off now though, just a bit tired at the moment.*  
  
*I'm just surprised Gandalf suggested we go with Frodo, I was planning on him saying no, then us stalking after him anyway. But I suppose Gandalf knew that we knew something more about the ring then I let on just because you rambled on about how you knew what we were talking about when you weren't even there.*  
  
Frodo smiled. *I knew you would end up with me whether Gandalf wanted you to or not.*  
  
*You know us all too well.* I said.  
  
Gandalf then entered the room. He looked down at us and smiled. "You know, hobbits are the most amazing creatures. You can learn everything there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet after a hundred years they can still surprise you!" There was then a noise outside the window. "Get down!" We dropped to the floor and Gandalf went to the window, stuck his staff out, hit something, and dragged Sam in by the scruff of the neck. "Confound it all, Samwise Gamgee! Have you been eavesdropping?"  
  
Sam looked terrified. "I ain't been droppin' no eaves, sir, honest. I was just trimming the grass under the window there, follow me?"  
  
"A bit late for trimming the verge?"  
  
"I heard raised voices."  
  
"What did you hear? SPEAK!"  
  
"Nothing important. That is, I heard a good deal about a ring, and a dark lord, and something about the end of the world. Please don't hurt me, sir, don't turn me into anything unnatural," he stammered.  
  
"No?" He turned to us and smiled. "Perhaps not. I've found a better use for you."  
  
~*~  
  
Yucka, I hope that came out alright. Major writer's block in the beginning. Ya, and it's totally like 12:30 and I have to get up at like 6:30, so I better be off to bed. I hate it when you have something going good and you don't wanna stop, then end up staying up all night. :P Whatever. Press the button, and leave a review please.  
  
~*~Rocky~*~ 


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimers: See chapter 1.  
  
~*~  
  
Reviewers!!!  
  
PippinsPirate:  
  
*Grabs old Christmas cookie and takes a bite* Hum, crunchy..I think I'll just give ya a few new Valentine ones. Lol. Yes, and I recently just kidnapped Frodo, and I am now in the process of making him my new house pet. XD  
  
Lady Theadora:  
  
Thank you.  
  
Lady Light:  
  
I totally agree, Pippin rocks, also!  
  
~*~  
  
You're My Light in the Dark  
  
Chapter 13  
  
Gandalf had left the four of us right outside Farmer Maggot's crop. He gave us instructions to take the ring to Bree and meet him in he inn of the Prancing Pony. We entered a field of wheat and began on our long journey.  
  
"Somber yet, Lauren?" I asked her mockingly.  
  
"Shut up."  
  
Frodo laughed. "This trip is going to be far from a bore with you two around."  
  
"What about Sam? You're forgetting about him. He's gonna make this a fun trip as well," Lauren said.  
  
"Speaking of Sam, where is he?" I asked looking behind us to find Sam nowhere in sight.  
  
"Mr. Frodo? Lauren? Frodo!" Sam shouted and we went down a path to our right to find Sam running up to us. "I thought I'd lost you guys."  
  
"What are you talking about, Sam?" Frodo asked.  
  
"Oh, it's just something Gandalf said. 'Don't you lose them, Samwise Gamgee.' And I don't intend to."  
  
"Sam, we're still in the Shire," Frodo stated dully. "What could possibly happen?"  
  
"Oof!" Next thing I knew, Lauren was on the ground with Merry on top of her.  
  
"Lauren! Hey look Pippin, it's Lauren!" Merry said with his face inches from hers.  
  
"Yeah, and Frodo's here too!" Merry chipped in as Sam yanked him off of Frodo. "And Sam and Kat!"  
  
"Uh, Merry?"  
  
Merry blushed, "Yeah, sorry." He got up, helped her to her feet, and then began picking up vegtables he dropped when he had bumped into her.  
  
"Hold these." Pippin handed Sam an armful of carrots.  
  
"You've been stealing from Farmer Maggot's crop!" Sam exclaimed.  
  
"I'm gonna get you, you dirty thieves!" We heard from behind us.  
  
Merry simply grabbed Lauren and me by the shoulders and Pippin grabbed Frodo, and they pushed us forward. "Run!" We ran forward until we reached a small cliff, everyone stopping behind us, that is, until Sam bumped into the end of the line and sent us all flying over the overhang.  
  
"Ow!"  
  
"Dude, you're bending my arm backwards!"  
  
"Sorry!"  
  
I somehow ended up face-first at the very bottom of the pile.  
  
"I think I've broken somethin'," Merry complained and pulled a carrot out from underneath him. "Oh."  
  
"Trust a Brandybuck and a Took!" Sam exclaimed while helping everyone up.  
  
"Nonsense! That was just a detour, a shortcut!" Merry said brushing himself off.  
  
"Shortcut to what?" Sam asked sarcastically.  
  
"Mushrooms!" Pippin squeaked and he, Merry, and Sam ran over to the small patch at the side of the road, quickly stuffing a bag full.  
  
I looked past them and down the road and felt a chill go down my spine. I caught Lauren's eye and she nodded.  
  
"I think we should get off of the road," Frodo stated, however, the three fools stuffing their faces with food didn't hear him. I glimmsed down the road again, this time I felt something approach.  
  
"Get off the road!" I shouted. The three bobos quickly stood up and looked at me. "Quickly! Get off the road!" We pushed them up a bank and we hid on the inside of a tree root.  
  
~*~  
  
I sat as still as I could, scared stiff. We heard a faint clatter of hooves that drew closer and stopped right in front of the root we hid behind. The rider dismounted his horse and stepped even closer, putting his hands on the part of the root right above my head. He started to sniff the air, and I could feel his dark breath on the back of my neck; making me extremely cold and even colder with every breath he took. I didn't dare move. Beside me I felt Frodo jump slightly and then Merry tossed the bag of mushrooms they had just packed go flying; causing the rider to fly after it. Lauren grabbed my hand, dragged me away from our hiding spot, and we ran as fast as we could.  
  
"What was that?" Pippin asked.  
  
Frodo didn't reply; he just stood gasping for breath and clutching the pocket of his shirt that had the ring tucked inside.  
  
"One of your worst nightmares," Lauren said.  
  
"But I've never had a nightmare like that before," he argued.  
  
"Well, you will now, Pip," she replied.  
  
~*~  
  
We ended up hiding and running from the riders for the rest of the day. It was now nightfall and we could still feel their presence.  
  
"Anything?" Sam called from his hiding spot behind us.  
  
"Nothing," Frodo shouted back.  
  
The rest of the group ran up to where Frodo, Pippin, and I were hiding. "That rider is looking for something, or someone. Frodo?" Merry asked. Ahead in the path we saw the rider trot past. "Get down!"  
  
"I have to leave the Shire. The four of us must get to Bree," Frodo replied.  
  
"Riight.." Merry thought and then it clicked. "Bucklebury Ferry, follow me!"  
  
We all ran out of our hiding spot and high-tailed it after Merry. W e hopped a fence, and on the other side we were met with a rider. We all managed to get past except for Frodo, who had gotten cornered. We ran onto the raft.  
  
"Quickly! Untie the ropes!" Merry exclaimed while the four of them untied the raft from the dock and I pushed off just as Frodo was coming up to the end of the dock with a rider right behind him.  
  
"Come on, Frodo!"  
  
"Jump! I've got ya!" I yelled as he leaped onto the raft and landed in my arms. He gave me a huge grateful smile and hugged me tight. The rider abruptly halted at the end of the dock.  
  
"Oh! Who's good? That's right! We are! Mhum, mhum!" Lauren mocked the rider while doing a little victory dance. "Yeah, you can just kiss it, cuz you're not getting a piece of any hobbit here tonight! Hell yeah! Woo!" The rider quickly turned and bolted up back up to the road, joining a whole fleet of black riders. Her smile faded fast. "Oh, shit."  
  
"What? Did you forget that there is nine of them or something during the middle of your victory celebration?" I mocked.  
  
"Kinda.."  
  
"Wait, there's eight more of those foul things?!" Sam asked in horror.  
  
"Yes," I said sadly. "And they're never gonna leave us alone."  
  
Frodo started staring into space in deep thought. "How far till the nearest crossing?"  
  
"Brandywine Bridge, 20 miles," Merry explained.  
  
~*~  
  
It started to pour as we stepped off the raft, and we all pulled our hoods over our heads. We ran to the gate of the city and knocked. The gatekeeper opened up a top window that was way above our heads, closed it and opened a window right at our height.  
  
"What do you want?" The guard asked rudely.  
  
"We are headed for the Prancing Pony," Frodo answered.  
  
"Hobbits! Six hobbits, no less! What business brings you to Bree?"  
  
"We wish to stay at the inn, our business is our own," I replied coldly.  
  
"All right, young hobbits, I meant no offence. It's my job to ask questions after nightfall, there's talk of strange folk abroud," the guard said while opening the gate for us, "Can't be too careful."  
  
We walked around the dingy town, many strange and dirty looking men gave us awkward glances. "Oh, if we didn't need to be so sneaky I would teach all these rude people a thing or two," Lauren commented.  
  
"Lauren," I said warningly, "We have to "sneak" so please don't do anything stupid."  
  
We finally came upon a big building with a sign hanging from the door saying "The Prancing Pony Inn."  
  
"Hey, do you suppose that's the place?" Pippin asked.  
  
"No, Pippin, we're going to a place called "Moonlit Tavern," Sam said sarcastically.  
  
"Oh, really?" Merry gave him a light jab to the head. "Ow!" We entered the inn and removed our hoods. Frodo stepped up to the counter. "Um, excuse me?"  
  
A fat chubby man leaned over to see him. "Oh, good evening little hobbits! If you're looking for accommodation, we have some nice cozy hobbit-sized rooms available, Mr..?"  
  
"Underhill. My name's Underhill," Frodo said quickly. "We're friends of Gandalf the Grey, can you please tell him that we've arrived?"  
  
"Gandalf? Gandalf.." he thought, "Oh, yes! Elderly chap, big gray beard, pointy hat?" Frodo smiled and nodded. "Not seen him for six months." Frodo's face dropped and he turned back to us.  
  
"What now?" Sam asked.  
  
"Don't worry, he'll be here, he'll come," Frodo assured us.  
  
"Well, we're gonna be here for a while, so let's go get a table," Lauren suggested and we all followed into the main room and picked a table in the middle of the room.  
  
~*~  
  
"That man's done nothing but stare at us this whole time since we arrived," Sam said pointing to a man sitting in a shadowed corner, smoking a pipe.  
  
"Excuse me?" Frodo asked Barliman. "Who's that man in the corner over there?"  
  
"Him? He's one of them rangers. Dangerous folk, they are, wandering the wilds. What his right name is, I do not know, but round here he's known as Strider," he explained and quickly went back to serving food. Merry came back over with a huge mug of ale.  
  
"What's that?" Pippin questioned.  
  
"This, my friend, is a pint," Merry said happily while taking a sip.  
  
"I'm getting one!" Pippin said while getting up.  
  
"You've got to be kidding me!" I said.  
  
"But you've had two halves already!" Sam protested and then shook his head and muttered, "Tooks."  
  
~*~  
  
Lol. Wow, I got kinda far in that chapter, huh? Chapter 13...already? Jeez, it seems like I just started this story! And isn't 13 supposedly an unlucky number? :P Please review, people!  
  
~*~Rocky~*~ 


	14. Chapter 14

_**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1. _

**Reviewers!**

Dd: 

Thankyas! 

Lady Light: 

The sisters are both "Hobbit size". Lol. 

Lady Theadora: 

Lol. I had a lot of fun typing Lauren's victory dance. :D 

Lady Laran: 

That's what I love about Kat and Frodo's friendship, they help each other deal. And yes, I have some surprises waiting for you guys. But, Sings na na nabobo not gonna tell you anything yet. You're just gonna have to stick with me and keep on readin':P 

Skitty: 

Great idea! I give you full credit for that part of my story. Parade to you! 

**Author's Notes**: 

This chappy had songs, but I had to cut them out due to ff dot net's new rules. So if it's choppy, that's why. I'll fix it up as soon as I get the chance. Please understand. :) 

OOO 

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 14_

"Frodo?" I asked snapping my fingers in front of his face. He shut his eyes tight and started shaking his head. "Yo, dude, you alright?" I then noticed he had the ring clutched in his hand tightly. _**"Lauren! We need to do something!"**_

_**"What are we gonna be able to do? We don't wanna change them meeting Aragorn!"**_ Lauren replied back in gibberish as well. 

_**Well, so far, it's been going by the movie more than the book. Perhaps if we distract the other guests somewhat there won't be such a fuss with Barliman.**_

Frodo shook his head lightly this time and popped his eyes open fast. 

"Alrighty! We can do this!" Lauren said while we jumped on top of the table and started to sing for a distraction. 

Frodo looked up at us anxious and confused. From over at the bar we heard a very drunken Pippin talking to several other guests. "Sure I know a Baggins! Frodo Baggins!" Frodo abruptly got up from his seat and ran over to the bar where Pippin sat. "Pippin!" he cried while trying to drag Pippin away from the bar. 

"Steady on there, Frodo!" Pippin replied spilling his ale all over the floor causing Frodo to slip on it. 

"Here we go," Lauren muttered and shut her eyes tight. Frodo fell hard on his back and the ring flew out of his hand. Curious onlookers wondered at the sight of the flying piece of gold and gasped when Frodo disappeared. The rest of our gang stared in disbelief, along with the rest of the room who all saw Frodo disappear. 

"So much for trying to distract them," I muttered. 

I saw Strider move swiftly past me, go underneath a table, and pull Frodo out from under it. 

"Frodo!" Sam cried joyfully. 

Strider picked Frodo up by the scruff of his neck and took him to a stairwell at the back of the common room. "Stay with them," I told Lauren, I'll go follow Strider. Oh, and can you please apologize to Barliman for the upsetment of his guests?" 

"Alrighty, sounds like a plan." 

I turned and booked it up the stairwell to find Strider throwing Frodo into a room. I quickly ran and creeped into the room as well, and stood with my back up against the back wall of the room. Strider was standing next to the window with his back toward myself and Frodo, who just picked himself up from off of the ground. 

"You draw far too much attention to yourself "Mr. Underhill". Strider said with his back still to us. 

"What do you want?" Frodo asked shakily. 

"A little more caution from you, that is no trinket you carry." 

"I carry nothing," Frodo denied while watching Strider closely. 

"Indeed," Strider mocked while turning around and pulling off his hood. "Where did you come from?" Strider asked motioning to me and drawing out his sword. Frodo turned around and ran over to me. 

"Whoa! Hold it!" Frodo said stepping in front of me protectively. 

I sighed, stepping back in front of him. "Take it easy, Estel. I'm one of his companions," I said while pushing his sword down. Strider gave me a questioning look, slowly nodded and stealthed it. "I have to ask you a big favor. Can you please lead us to Rivendell? We need to get there and we do not know the way." 

"What?" Frodo exclaimed. "We have to meet Gandalf here! He gave us instructions to wait for him here!" 

"You can no longer wait for the wizard, Frodo. They are coming," Strider said as he started to pinch out the candles placed on the windowsill. 

"Who are you?" Frodo asked. 

"Are you frightened?" he asked in reply. 

"Not nearly as frightened as we rightfully should be," I said confidently. 

"Then you are not nearly frightened enough," he replied, "I know what hunts you." 

The door burst open, causing Strider to whip out his sword again, and in came Sam, Merry, Pippin, all carrying various objects, and lastly Lauren while shaking her head. 

"Release them, or you'll get it, Long Shanks!" Sam cried while holding his hands in fists and started to punch the air. 

I started laughing hysterically. "Oi, Lauren, I thought I told you to watch them." 

"Hey, I tried to stop them, but no, they had to "rescue" Frodo," she replied sighing and then grinned, "Even though I told them that he was gonna be fine about a million times," she said while turning to face Sam. "Is that enough proof for ya, Rocky?" She mocked as she pushed Sam's fists down to his sides. 

"What did you call me?" Sam asked confused. 

"Rocky. He was a great fist-fighter back where we came from," I explained giggling. 

OOO 

That evening we stayed in Strider's room, and set up a decoy in our original rooms. Pippin, Sam, Lauren, and Merry were sleeping soundly on Strider's bed, and Merry put his arm around my sister in his sleep. I chuckled. 

"What is it?" Frodo asked from his seat in the armchair across from me. I pointed at my sister and Merry. He chuckled as well. "I see." 

Then we heard great banging and several shrill cries, causing the four to wake up. Merry and Lauren looked at each other, blushed, and quickly looked away. I grinned at Lauren, who just rolled her eyes at me. "Shut up," she mouthed. 

Frodo stood up from his chair and went over to the window next to Strider. "What are they?" 

"They are the Nazgul, Ringwraiths, neither living or dead. At all times they feel the presence of the ring, drawn to the power of the one. They will never stop hunting us," I explained. 

"They were also Great Kings of men, once, but then Sauron the Deceiver offered them nine rings of power. Blinded by their greed, they took them without question, and fell into darkness. They eventually turned into what they are today," Strider continued. "But you need not worry of them now, go and get some sleep, Master Hobbit." He said as he stood up. "I must see if the Wraiths have fled the town, please try and rest, young hobbits, we start a long and difficult journey early tomorrow." And he left the room. 

Frodo sighed and sat himself back down in his armchair. "I highly doubt I shall find any." 

"You should at least try, Frodo, at any rate," I said. 

"I know," he replied. 

I turned my attention to the bed where our four other companions lay. "Psst! Lauren? Lauren! You awake?" I only got snores for a response. "Humph," I grumbled and laid my head back to rest against the back of the chair and fell into an uneasy slumber. 

OOO 

I awoke sleepily, and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. The room was still dark, and Frodo wasn't in the chair across from me. I scanned the room quickly and found him lying on a rug right in front of the glowing fire. He was singing softly, a sad song of hope. 

I got up from my armchair and sat next to him. "You okay, Frodo?" 

He sighed. "I think so." 

"Have you gotten any sleep at all?" 

"Nope." 

"How long was I out for?" I asked yawning. 

"About two hours. Strider still hasn't returned, I hope everything's okay out there." 

"It should be, or at least I hope it is." I tucked my legs into my chest and pulled the bottom of my sweatshirt over my legs. 

He rolled over on his side to face me and rested his head on his arm. "How do you know so much about the Black Riders?" he asked. 

"Is that what's been keeping you up?" I questioned. 

"No, I'm just curious." 

I sighed and bit my lip. "I can't tell you. I just can't, it might ruin everything. Not now anyway, though I might be able to at the end of all things." 

He gave me a look of understanding and gave me a weak smile. "Do you think Gandalf's alright? It is so unlike him not to show up like this." 

"I hope so," I replied and pulled my sweatshirt off from over my legs and laid myself down next to him. "Come on though, you have no control over where Gandalf is right now. You really shouldn't worry," I smiled. "You should really try to sleep, at least a little. You're gonna need all the strength you can get for tomorrow." And I rolled on my side and curled into a ball. "Night." 

"Good night, Kate." I heard him say while I close my eyes, and had pleasant dreams. 

OOO 

Hehehe! I had fun with that chapter! And thankyas to Skitty who gave me the idea to have Kat and Lauren sing the song. Okay peoples, more reviews equals making me happy, which equals giving me inspiration, which leads to a more interesting plot for you guys to read. Get it, got it? Good. 

-Rocky- 


	15. Chapter 15

_**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1. _

**Reviewers!**

Lady Light: 

Lol. Yes, Kat being a gymnast will certainly make things interesting in the future. . . 

Lady Theadora: 

Hehehe! Hope you enjoy this one just as much as last! 

Kess: 

Speechless Uh, thank you bunches! I'm really flattered! 

Haiku: 

Know what you mean. . . I have the same obsession. Both my stories so far are like that. 

OOO 

**Author's Note**: 

This chappy had songs, but I had to cut them out due to ff dot net's new rules. So if it's choppy, that's why. I'll fix it up as soon as I get the chance. Please understand. :) 

OOO 

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 15_

The next morning we got up early, bought a pony (which Sam decided to name Bill), and left the city as soon as we could. We stayed off the main roads, and Strider led us onto the wild. 

"How do we know that this "Strider" is a friend of Gandalf's?" Merry questioned. 

"We don't, but we have no choice but to trust him. And besides, I'm not the one who asked for his help," Frodo said looking at me. 

"What, do you guys really think Strider is up to no good? If he was against us he would have tried to do something already," I said in my and Strider's defense. 

Frodo sighed. "I just don't know. He's mysterious, there's just something about him that makes me uneasy." 

"You guys have got to learn how to trust our better judgement," Lauren commented. 

"Better judgement, my ass," I muttered under my breath, "How about knowledge of what's gonna come to pass?" Pippin, who was standing next to me, heard what I had said and looked at me confused, but shrugged it off. 

"Where is he taking us?" Sam asked. 

"To Rivendell, Master Gamgee, to the House of Elrond," Strider replied from the front of the group, leading Bill. 

"Hey! Did you hear that? We're gonna see the elves!" Sam exclaimed and started jumping up and down excitedly. 

"Easy there, Killer!" Lauren joked as she put her hands on his shoulders to prevent him from bobbing up and down, which was getting slightly annoying. 

OOO 

We continued walking the rest of the day, and when it just was starting to get dark did we come out of the forest and we were at the base of a weird looking mountain. 

"This was once the great watchtower of Amon Sul," he turned to face us, "We will rest here tonight." 

We climbed the flight of stairs to the top and set our bags down, Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Frodo falling down with them from being so tired. Strider, meanwhile, took out a bundle from inside his cloak, unwrapping it to reveal six small swords, almost like knives in his hands. 

"Here," he said while tossing us each a sword, "These are for you. Keep them close. I'm going to go have a look around, stay here." And he turned and went back down the flight of stairs. 

"Sweet!" Lauren and I both exclaimed while we amused ourselves pulling the swords in and out of their stealth, causing them to make a cool "Shring!" sound every time. After about ten minutes playing with them and getting amused glances from the rest of our gang, we both tied our swords at our hip and sat down next to our bags. 

"Well," Frodo began, "I think we should all get some sleep, especially if Strider has us going the pace we did today tomorrow." We all nodded and lay down on the cold stone floor, using our packs for pillows. 

OOO 

"More bacon, Merry?" I heard faintly as I stirred and sat up. 

"Oh, yes please, they are quite good," he replied. I rubbed my eyes and then it clicked. I turned around to see Merry, Pippin, and Sam sitting by a fire cooking and eating happily. 

"No!" I yelled. I got up, ran over to them, and started to stomp out their small fire. "I can't believe I forgot!" I reprimanded myself, "How the hell did I forget? Wait though, Lauren forgot as well. How did we both manage to forget?" Merry looked up at me and furrowed his eyebrows, wondering what I was talking about. "I'll never be able to forgive myself if something happens to him!" I said under my breath. All my yelling woke Frodo and Lauren. 

"What's going on?" Frodo asked sleepily. Pippin simply shrugged and looked down at his plate of food. 

"Hey! That's nice! Ash on my tomatoes!" he said. 

"Oh no!" Lauren cried while standing up and brushing off her sweatpants. 

"Your tomatoes are the least on my list of problems, Pippin," I said shakily, my voice cracking. 

"What's wrong?" Frodo asked while walking over to me and putting his hand on my shoulder in concern. I took his hand from off of my shoulder and lead him to the edge of the platform we were on. I looked over and pointed at the black shapes in the distance, coming closer and closer toward the tower. "That." Frodo looked over and froze in fear. "Come on, Frodo," I said while dragging him away from the wall, "We have to get up to the top of the tower." 

OOO 

"Hurry!" Lauren cried as they all stumbled up the steps. We stayed behind and ran to our packs. "Any ideas?" She huffed. 

"Yeah, I just hope it will work," I said as I took a rope from out of my pack. "Now come on!" And we high-tailed it up the stairs as well. 

"Thank Eru!" Sam cried when we saw us come up. They were standing in a tight circle, Frodo in the middle. I looked around the circular area frantically, and then I saw it, a wooden beam going across the top of the area, and a small ledge on the left wall. I nudged Lauren and pointed to it. She looked from the ledge, to the beam to the coiled-up rope in my hand and nodded. We both ran to the left wall and began to climb. 

"What are you doing?" Merry cried. 

"You shall see," Lauren replied while we pulled ourselves up onto the ledge. 

"What ever you do, Frodo, don't put it on!" I yelled down to him. 

The four of them stared at us. "They all think that we're both crazy," she said to me. 

"No kidding," I said as I started to uncoil the rope. "Oh no," I breathed and I pushed us both down to the ground. Our companions looked at us awkwardly and abruptly turned around to find five wraiths coming up and over the wall, all with swords drawn up high. They all stood wide-eyed in horror, and then quickly all three stood in front of Frodo protectively. The wraiths advanced silently, the only noise they made was the sound of their metal shoes clinking on the wet stones beneath their feet. 

"Back you devils!" Sam shouted and started to parry their attacks, and we took this opportunity to fling the rope up and over the beam and grabbing it again. Soon after, Sam eventually got knocked aside. Merry and Pippin both stepped closer together, trying to block Frodo from their view, with little luck, and quickly got thrown across the room. Meanwhile, I held both ends of the rope while Lauren climbed up it a little, and I backed up until I was pressed against the wall. Frodo, now standing alone, started backing away from fear, only cornering himself and he tripped over his cloak. The Witch-King, or the Head Nazgul, noticed Frodo in the corner and strode over to him, extending his hand and telling Frodo to give him the ring. 

"NOW!" I yelled and I ran forward and jumped off of the ledge. With both our feet outward, we swung and knocked the Witch-King high off of his feet, sending him flying. Frodo looked up at us gratefully, and when we swung back on our counter-swing I grabbed his hand and pulled him up onto the rope with us. The rest of the nazgul watched us swing to and fro. 

"Uh, Kat?" Lauren laughed nervously. 

"Yeah?" 

"We have a bit of a problem. . . the beams breaking!" she cried. 

I simply hoped down and continued to watch them swing. Frodo jumped next, and lastly Lauren. When the rope came swinging back to us, I grabbed one end and pulled it off from round the beam, and the beam broke in half, falling on a wraith. The four others advanced on us and we kept together and started backing up until we hit a wall. 

"Oh, now this is just great," I said sarcastically watching them surround us. Lauren quickly grabbed the rope from me, wrapped it around her hand, and started to use the end of it as whip, making the wraiths keep their distance. 

"What do we do now?" she asked while snapping the rope at one that was trying to get closer. 

"Dunno. I am fresh out of ideas," I confessed, then to my surprise, two of the wraiths caught fire. This caused them to totally forget about us, and focused all of their attention on Strider, who was now fighting them, and one by one, lighting the rest on fire with a torch, including the one still stuck underneath the beam. The beam burned away, allowing the wraith to get free and run away after the others. 

"Mr. Frodo!" Sam cried and he, Pippin, and Merry ran up to us. Sam had a handkerchief wrapped tightly around his hand. "So glad that you are all alright!" 

"All thanks to them," Frodo said with a weak smile and put his arm around my shoulder. I could feel him shaking, then again, I probably was too. That was by far the scariest thing I had done in my whole life. 

"Come," Strider said stealthing his sword, "We must make haste. I fear they shall return if we linger here." We all nodded in agreement and went down the steps to grab our packs. 

OOO 

Later on during the night, we found ourselves out in the woods again and made camp in a clearing surrounded by bushes. It was my turn to keep watch, thankfully I wasn't very tired. I leaned my back against my pack for support and looked around at everyone sleeping, and stopped on Frodo who was tossing and turning. I stood up and knelt down at his side. "You can't sleep again, now can you?" He nodded and sat up slowly. "You okay?" He didn't reply; he just quickly pulled me into a tight hug, surprising me quite a bit. 

"Thank you so much," he said. "I don't know what I would do without you." I smiled and hugged him back. "I don't even want to think of what would have happened to me today if not for you." 

"You're giving me too much credit." 

"No, I'm not, you and Lauren saved my life today." He sighed. "Do you think we're ever going to see those Black Riders again?" 

"I would definitely count on it," I replied. We sat silent like that, in each other's arms, for quite a while until I felt Frodo nod of to sleep and rested his head on my shoulder. 

"Comfortable now, aren't we?" I heard Lauren mock from her sleeping spot. 

I brought a finger to my lips, "Shh, he's finally asleep. He hasn't slept well in a while." 

"Oh, sor-ry," she whispered chuckling. 

"You were up that whole time, now weren't you?" 

"Uh, yeah. How did you figure that one out?" I gave her a "it was obvious" face and rolled my eyes. "Oh, alright. I'm not gonna get any sleep tonight so I'll take your watch," she said while sitting up against her pack. 

I smiled. "Thanks." 

_**"How do you think we did today?"**_

_**"Great, I just hope that doesn't cause anything that we're gonna regret later"**_ I replied. 

"Yeah, me too." She stood up, "I'm gonna go stretch my legs, before I start to fall asleep." 

"I thought you said that you weren't tired." 

She just shrugged and walked out of the clearing, pacing back and forth keeping watch. I let my head rest on top of Frodo's. I sighed contently and started to whisper a song to lull me to sleep. 

OOO 

Hum, interesting, no? Lol. Please review. Thankyas! (Thank ya to all my reviewers from the last chappy! All you guys are awesome!) 

-Rocky- 


	16. Chapter 16

_**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1. _

**Reviewers!**

Lady Light: 

Lol. 

La chica mysteriosa: 

You shall see, oh yes, you shall see. . . yeah, I think I'm just a little obsessed. Haha. 

Skitty: 

Whistles Yeah, I am so not going to tell you that they get-oops! Had to catch myself there! You just have to keep readin'! 

JW7: 

Thank you, thank you, thank you, oh yeah, and did I mention thank ya? You totally mentioned every goal that I was trying to point out, like how the songs all fit along with the story and how their friendships and/or relationships helped the darkness. And I totally agree, we need more hobbit romances. :-) 

**Author's Notes**: 

This chappy had songs, but I had to cut them out due to ff dot net's new rules. So if it's choppy, that's why. I'll fix it up as soon as I get the chance. Please understand. :) 

OOO 

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 16_

"Come on, Kat, we have to keep moving," I felt Frodo shake me slightly. 

"Right." I rubbed my eyes and saw Strider looking at us amused. I gave him a death glare and he just walked away still chuckling to himself. 

OOO 

We walked all morning, a little more cautious of our surroundings than before. And of course, Pippin, being the king of hunger, randomly stopped and whipped out his food stash. 

"Hobbits, we do not stop until nightfall," Strider said when he realized we stopped following him. 

"What about breakfast?" Pippin inquired. 

"What are you talking about? We have already had it." 

"We've had one, yes, but what about second breakfast?" he replied matter-of- factly. Strider simply turned around and continued on his way, causing Pippin to look horrified. Merry started to pack up Pippin's food supply when Pippin just sat there staring at Strider's back with an open mouth. 

"I don't think he knows about second breakfast, Pip," Merry said as he stood up and handed Pippin's pack back to him. 

"What? But he does know about elevensies, right. . .?" no response, "What about luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper?" Pippin asked frantically. "He does know about them, doesn't he?" 

"I wouldn't count on it, Pip," Merry said annoyed as he caught an apple flying towards him. He gave him a slight smirk, patted him on the back, and continued on while munching his apple happily. 

"It doesn't take much to him happy, now does it?" I laughed. 

"Not at all, just give him the slightest bit of food and it will shut him up for a while," Sam replied. 

"Ow!" An apple then hit Pippin on the head. 

"Pippin!" 

"Hey! I'm gonna get you, Strider! You caused both of us to get a bruise!" He called as he picked up the apple and examined it while rubbing his sore head. 

OOO 

I found myself back in my real world, in my gym, in the middle of the spring floor, and Jill was right in the middle of her run for a tumbling pass when she stopped dead right in front of me. She stood looking down at me, considering I am now a hobbit, with wide eyes. The whole gym stopped and stared, all my coaches, all my teammates, and even all the class kids I didn't know. 

"Kat?" she choked looking me over very shocked and disturbed. 

"Yeah," I smiled reassuringly. 

"Where have you been! You've been missing for like a month!" she exclaimed, "How did you get so short? You look so different! But why are you all dirty? And. . ." 

"Just hold it!" I shouted and I rubbed my temples. "A month? What are you talking about? I've been gone for five years." 

"You okay? Cuz, uh, it has defenitely been a month since I last saw you." 

I closed my eyes and started to cry. _'Why am I back here?'_ "Come on, I have to tell you a story." I dragged her into the locker room and the gym resumed its practice. 

OOO 

"No, way," she said when I finished all that I had been through since I had last seen her. "I'm sorry, I just, can't believe you." 

"What? How can you not believe me? Look at me, Jill! I use to be taller than you, and now you're a good foot taller than me. I use to have straight hair, and now it's so curly it springs back up when you pull on it. And look at my feet, they're a hell of a lot hairier than yours will ever be!" I yelled. 

"I just don't know, Kat," she replied slowly. "I really don't know what to think. First, you disappear without a trace and have us all worried sick. Then about a month later you reappear suddenly before everyone's eyes and claim to have been in Middle Earth with your "Dream Date" Frodo Baggins. It isn't logical. I think you just dreamt it all, and that you have been fanticising about Lord of the Rings way too much for your own good." 

I stood up and put my hands on her shoulders, looking her straight in her eyes. "Jill, listen to me. I am a 21 year-old hobbit, a retired gymnast, I love Frodo, I really was in Middle Earth, and I am now going to find a way back there." 

"No, you listen to me, Kat. I think you have finally snapped. Middle Earth is not a real place. Frodo, hobbits, everything is make-believe. They are not real. You are only 16 years old, not 21. You were only missing for a month, not five years like you claim." 

"Jill, if hobbits aren't real, what the fuck am I? How would you explain my drastic change in appearance, huh? God damn it, Jill! Take a look at my ears!" I continued yelling and I pulled back my hair for her to see. 

"Kate Tamsin!" the door of the locker room burst open and I heard that dreadful familiar voice scream at me. "Where the hell have you been, Little Missy? Well, now you're going home and going to be punished severely for that stunt you pulled!" And my mother stormed into the room, grabbed me by my sensitive pointed ears, and dragged me out of the room by them. 

OOO 

I sat curled up in a ball on an old couch in my basement, all alone rubbing my sore ears and silent tears running down my cheeks. _'How did I end up back here? Why have I been returned?'_ I then heard my mother's heavy footsteps stomping down the stairs. 

She stood in front of me, her face red and bulging with anger. I kept my head up, not wanting to show my fear. "Where did you runaway to?" she shouted in my face. 

"I did not runaway," I replied confidently and lifting my chin up even higher. 

"Liar!" she spat and struck me across the face, sending me to the floor. Tears of rage and pain came to my eyes. 

"Where is your little brat of a sister? She followed you, oh yes, she did. I know you know where she is, and you both need to be severely punished, now tell me where she is!" she screamed and towered over me. 

"Of course I know where she is," I said matter-of-factly just to piss her off, "And why the fuck should I tell you?" And she kicked me in the ribs hard. 

"Don't you dare swear at me!" 

_KICK_

"Tell me!" 

"No!" 

_KICK_

"You tell me you little son of a bitch!" 

"First of all, you just called yourself a bitch." 

_KICK_

"And second of all, even if I did, you wouldn't believe me anyway." 

_KICK_

"Face it, Mother dearest," I mocked. 

_KICK_

"I am never going to tell you." 

_KICK_

"And she is never coming back." 

_KICK_

She picked me up from off of the floor by the collar of my sweatshirt. "Where were you? Tell me!" 

"Never." 

She then slammed me, back first, into the cold stone wall, pressing me harder and harder until I couldn't breathe. 

"You're a slimy little cunt, you know that? So sneaky, and you think that you can get away with everything," she hissed spitting into my face. 

With my last efforts, I rammed my knee into her stomach, causing her to release her grip on me. She doubled over clutching her stomach, and I started to run up the stairs. 

"Oh, no you don't!" I could hear her yell from behind me. 

I reached the top step and felt a strong, sweaty hand grip my ankle. And I felt myself fall down the whole flight of stairs. I hit the hard cement floor and woke up from this nightmare in a cold sweat. 

OOO 

"Kat!" I heard Lauren call out my name in fear, and the high-pitched shrill cry of a Nazgul when I felt an extreme pain pulse throughout my entire torso and felt the skin peel up and off of my back. I blacked out from the pain, and I remembered no more. 

OOO 

Evil Laughter Yes, I am so evil to leave you guys hanging there. Yeah, don't mind me, I'm in such an evil mood right now, as you can see. Haha! Okay, the song in this chappy is Numb by Linkin Park. Please review, peoples! Thankyas much! 

-Rocky- 


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimers: See chapter 1.  
  
~*~  
  
Reviewers!!!  
  
Lady Light:  
  
Yes, aren't I? Mwuahahaha!  
  
Lady Laren:  
  
Thank you! I try my best to update as soon as possible!  
  
Blue Jedi Hobbit 009:  
  
I am so full of surprises, now aren't I?  
  
La Chica Mysteriosa:  
  
Mwuahahaha! I just love being evil. Oh, and, that was just a dream for the time being. . . oops! Uh, haha. . .you didn't just read that! *whistles innocently*  
  
Skitty:  
  
I try and update quickly, but of course I can never do it regularly.  
  
PippinPirate:  
  
Well, my sister and I are pretty civil to each other, but not that close. It's kinda hard for us cuz we're 5 years apart. But if we were as close in age as Kat and Lauren, yes, we would probably have the "best friend" relationship apposed to the "sisterly". And, sorry, I don't know what Inu Yasha is.  
  
Author's Note:  
  
So sorry about the wait! Hey, it was only a week but still. . . . I hate not updating. Anyone reading this have a LiveJournal? I just started a LOTR fanfiction community and 1. I don't know how the hell it works, if someone who does could help, I would be ever so grateful. And 2. I really want people to join. The link to my LJ is in my bio, please check it out! Thankyas, people!  
  
~*~  
  
You're My Light in the Dark  
  
Chapter 17  
  
Lauren kept watch that night from up in a tree. She looked down upon her companions and saw Kat laying on her stomach, shaking and muttering, her sweatshirt that she was using for a pillow was no longer underneath her head, but in a messy ball beside her. ::Might as well try and wake her from that nightmare she seems to be having.:: She started to climb down when she heard someone approach. She stopped dead in her tracks and scanned the area quickly.  
  
A Black Rider entered their camp, with a sword drown out. He walked swiftly, twirling the sword around in circles. Lauren couldn't move, she was scared stiff. ::I don't remember anything like this happening!:: Her thoughts cried, terrified. ::Then again, Frodo isn't hurt like he's suppose to be.::  
  
The Rider stopped right in front of Kat, and he seemed to be studying her. He just stood there for a few minutes, motionless. Her heart pounded against her chest, so hard, that she was afraid the wraith would hear it. The wraith then suddenly brought the sword up high above Kat.  
  
"Kat!" she screamed while she ran and tackled the wraith, causing the sword, instead of killing Kat, just to slice into the top layers of skin on her back and ripped it clean off. (A/N: Anyone that's familiar with gymnastics lingo: just think of one big ass bloody rip.)  
  
The wraith screeched, an ear-piercing shriek, and quickly rolled back onto its feet. It towered over her, bringing his sword right in front of her face, covered in blood, her sister's blood. Anger roused inside her, and quickly mixed with fear.  
  
"Never come between the Nazgul and his prey," the wraith said. His voice was dark and croaked. "Now you shall learn, she-halfling!" He brought it high, and she crouched, eyes shut tight, waiting for the blow that never came, but instead, heard a hard metal clink above her head.  
  
::What the. . . ?:: She quickly looked up and saw Strider above her.  
  
"Run," he mouthed and she quickly got out from between them. She ran over to the rest of the gang, who surrounded Kat.  
  
"Is she alright?" she asked extremely worried. Frodo, his face stained with tears, looked up at her blankly.  
  
"She is still alive, if that is what you mean, but she has blacked out and that wound of hers is awfully nasty," Merry replied.  
  
Strider soon drove the wraith away. "Come on, now! We must make haste! More are close, much too close for comfort!" He picked Kat up in his arms. "Sam, on the way, if possible, I need you to keep an eye out for the Athelas plant," he said while he lead the way from the camp.  
  
"Athelas?" Sam asked confused.  
  
"Uh, Kingsfoil," Strider continued.  
  
"Oh, uh, Kingsfoil, aye, but that's a weed."  
  
"Yes, but it might help numb Kat's pain," he explained.  
  
~*~  
  
What seemed like the next few days, I was in darkness. I would periodically drift back into the light and see Frodo's worried but reassuring smile, but drift back into the darkness once again. I seemed to be falling, a never-ending drop. The further and further down I sunk, I got the ever-coming feeling of coming close to the ground, but of course, I never did. That is until, I heard I fair voice, calling for me faintly.  
  
"Kate, I am Arwen. I am here to help you. Please come back into the light," I heard her say, and I felt myself being dropped back into my body. I felt a great pain in my back and I groaned slightly, biting my lip to keep from crying.  
  
"Who is she?" I heard Merry ask.  
  
"She's an elf!" Sam replied in awe.  
  
"There are five Wraiths behind you, where the other four are, I do not know," Arwen said to Aragorn. "The wounded girl and the ringbearer have to get to my father."  
  
Strider picked me up and placed me on the horse, then placed Frodo behind me. "Stay here with the rest of the hobbits, I'll send horses for you."  
  
"I am the faster rider, I will take them."  
  
"The road is too dangerous," he protested.  
  
"If I get across the River, the power of my people will protect us," she took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, "I do not fear them." She then mounted behind Frodo.  
  
"Arwen, ride hard, and don't look back." Arwen then said words to the horse in Elvish, and my vision blurred. My body began to pulse with pain, the pain growing stronger with every step that the horse took.  
  
"What are you doing?!" I heard Sam yell before I went back into the darkness, "Those Wraiths are still out there. . ."  
  
~*~  
  
IWait till the Sun goes round the moon,  
  
Cuz only then shall you see.  
  
Blinded and broken,  
  
Do not be in doubt,  
  
When all hope has faded.  
  
Look to the light,  
  
And you shall find yourself out of the darkness./I  
  
~*~  
  
"Is she going to be alright?" Frodo asked Arwen in concern.  
  
"Yes, she's going to be alright; she was extremely lucky that that blade wasn't poisoned. We just have to make sure to keep her back covered to prevent infection."  
  
He wrapped his arm tighter around Kat and pulled her back to lean on him. "I'm so sorry," he whispered in her ear. All of a sudden, a great shrill cry of a Nazgul rang out in the air.  
  
"Noro lim! Noro lim, Asfaloth!" Arwen cried. The horse sped faster, going with all of its might across the grassy plain. Frodo abruptly looked back and saw five Black Riders on their tail. "Noro lim!" He stared, numb, when the last four riders came galloping forward. "Eyes ahead, Frodo! You mustn't look back!"  
  
I"Ash nazg. . ."/I  
  
Frodo shook his head. "No! It's not gonna work this time!" And he felt a great pull on his cloak. "Ah! No!" He quickly pulled out his sword and cut loose from the Wraith's grasp.  
  
"We are nearly there," Arwen said. "We just need to hold them off a little longer."  
  
"If only that was so easy."  
  
"I know," she sighed.  
  
~*~  
  
I slowly drifted back into reality. I opened my eyes and we were on a horse in the middle of a river. I then heard nasty shrieks and Frodo held me close to him. I looked up and saw the Nine all lined up at the banks of the river, as if they didn't want to go in it.  
  
"Go back!" Frodo cried. "Go back to the Land of Mordor, and follow me no more!"  
  
The riders just laughed a harsh bone-chilling laugh. "Come back! Come back!" they called, "To Mordor we will take you!"  
  
"Go back!" He shouted.  
  
"The Ring! The Ring! Give us the Ring!"  
  
"You shall have neither the Ring nor me!" he yelled.  
  
I"Ash nazg! Ash nazg!"/I  
  
The horse snorted and reared. "Give up the halflings, She-elf!" the Witch King cried.  
  
Arwen pulled out her blade. "If you want them, come and claim them!" she shouted mockingly. The Riders unstealthed their swords and held them high. Slowly, they entered the Ford and started to make their way across. Arwen quickly muttered an Elvish chant and suddenly the water around us began to rumble and rise. She slowly backed up the horse and all of the Wraiths stopped, right in the middle of the Ford. The ground began to quake and the Nine quickly looked behind them to find the river come up and over their heads, engulfing them underneath the water. The water rushed past us, and the distant cries of the waterlogged Wraiths soon became just but a memory.  
  
"Now that was cool," I said.  
  
Frodo looked at me and smiled. "Aye, it was." Arwen just gave us questioning looks but didn't comment on it.  
  
"On we go, now! To my Father's House we go!" she said as she turned the horse and we rode into the fair city of Rivendell.  
  
~*~  
  
Wahoo! Finally done with that chappy! I wrote the poem IHope/I just for this chappy. It kinda sucks, but whatever. Please review! Yaya! Much thankies!  
  
~*~Rocky~*~ 


	18. Chapter 18

_**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1. _

**Reviwers!**

Blue Jedi Hobbit 009: 

Yup, I totally agree. 

Skitty: 

Thankies! 

Kess: 

Thanks, and don't worry, I'm not planning to quit on this anytime soon! 

Lady Light: 

Lol. Yup! 

Lady Laran: 

XD 

JW7: 

Thank you! 

OOO 

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 18_

"Want some more bacon, Merry?" 

Frodo awoke sleepily to find himself back on Weathertop. He looked around, Sam, Pippin, and Merry surrounded a fire and Kat and Lauren were no where to be seen. He then remembered the Wraiths. "What are you doing!" He cried. 

"Sausages, tomatoes, and some nice crispy bacon!" Merry said happily. 

"We've saved some for you, Mr. Frodo," Sam said. 

"Put it out, you fools! Put it out!" he cried as he ran over and stomped out their fire. 

"Oh, that's nice! Ash on my tomatoes!" Pippin exclaimed while brushing off his plate, then a high-pitched screech was heard. They all looked over the edge and saw black shapes approaching. 

He pulled out his sword. "Go!" he yelled motioning up to the top tower. They scrambled up the steps and stood back to back in the center of the room. Everything went as it did before, but it seemed to be going in slow motion. The Wraiths came up and above the wall, they knocked Sam, Merry, and Pippin out of their way, and the Witch King approached him with a sword drawn. His senses started to fail him. He backed up quickly in fear, never able to take his eyes off of the tall Black Rider in front of him, and he felt himself fall to the floor. He scrambled backwards until he hit a wall and found himself cornered. 

"Ash nazg. . ." 

He felt himself lose control over his body. He knew what was going on around him, but couldn't move his body, it was numb, and it seemed to be moving by itself. He felt his hand dig into his pocket and pull out the ring. 

"Put it on. . ." 

_'No!'_

"Go on, put it on, you know you want to. . ." 

It was right there in front of his face, with all of it's evil gleaming, smiling at him. His mind gave in and he put it on. He seemed to be in a swirling mist, and standing in front of him were the Wraiths, in their real form, something similar to skeletons. One stepped forward, extending his hand. 

"Give me the ring." He heard the voice say inside his head. He felt his hand slowly pull toward the Wraith's waiting grasp. 

_'NO!'_ His thoughts cried and with all of his might, pulled his hand back into his chest, shielding the ring from the angry Rider. The Rider was at first, slightly surprised, then he pulled out a sword and stabbed him in the shoulder. 

It felt like a great icy sting, and his whole left side went cold, and even more numb then before. Suddenly, this vision was slowly starting to fade, and Frodo felt no more pain in his body. 

He then found himself in some beautiful woods with tall trees and golden leaves. He looked around, no one was with him, he was all alone. "Hello?" He turned back around and saw a little hobbit lass sitting on a pile of the golden leaves. She had her back to him, and was singing softly; singing a song that Bilbo had taught him so long ago. 

He studied the girl's back, she was not wearing a dress but dirty gray pants and a large baggy shirt, her curly raven hair trailed along her back. He wanted to talk to the girl and stepped forward, making the leaves crunch under his feet. At the noise she turned around to face him. He was immediately drawn to her eyes, her intense blue/gray eyes. The same blue/gray eyes that he adored and wished that he could get lost in, Kat's. The little lass smiled at him, and stood up and started to run away. 

"Wait!" he called and started to chase after her. He could see her in the distance, weaving in and out of the trees, her long hair flowing behind her. "Hold up!" She started laughing and only ran faster. He followed her into a clearing, and she was standing in the middle, smiling brightly. He approached her. She only held up her hand, and looked back up at him. He shook his head. "Sorry, I don't understand." 

With the hand that she raised, she gently took his right hand and intertwined her fingers in between his and smiled again. She led him out of the clearing and the vision of the woods disappeared. 

Instead, they were in a small white room with a high ceiling. Along the back wall, there were many medals hanging and shelves that held many small odd colorful statues. On the bed there were many stuffed animals and pillows, and next to the bed were large windows with blue drapes. The little girl let go of his hand and walked over to small table beside the bed, opened the drawer, and pulled out a small box. The box had a pattern of many different colored flowers. She opened the flower box and pulled out a necklace, with a delicate silver chain and a bright blue stone pendant. She held it up for him to see. 

"She wants you to have it," the lass said, her voice sweet and innocent, only a voice that a child could have. 

"Who wants me to have it?" Frodo asked. 

The little girl said nothing in reply, but only pointed to the dresser. On top of the dresser was a picture of Kate, Lauren, and another girl he didn't recognize. They were huddled together, laughing, eyes shinning and bright. He couldn't help but notice how different they both looked now then in the picture in front of him. "Her?" he asked while picking the picture up and pointing to Kat. The lass nodded and held the necklace out to him. He took it, and she disappeared, right in front of his eyes. He brought his eyes back down to the picture in his hand and traced the outline of the frame. He looked back up and gazed at the room around him and sighed. "Where am I?" 

A voice very distant and familiar answered, "You are in the House of Elrond, and it is ten o' clock in the morning, on October the 24, if you would like to know." 

Frodo opened his eyes and looked around his room in Elrond's House. He shook his head lightly; a little disturbed by the dream he had just had and tried to convince himself that it was only a dream. It had looked and felt so real. Next to his bed sat Gandalf. 

"Gandalf?" 

"Yes, I am here." 

"What happened? Why didn't you meet us?" Frodo asked. 

"I'm so sorry," Gandalf said. "I was," he paused, "delayed." He stared into space and closed his eyes. 

"Gandalf, what's wrong?" 

He looked up and smiled lightly, "Nothing." He stood up from his chair. "Well, so much to do, so much to see to. I will see you later, my dear Frodo." And with that, he left the room. 

Frodo threw himself back onto his pillow and felt his head go all the way through and hit something hard underneath it. He sat back up and rubbed his head. "Ow." He lifted up the pillow to find the picture and the necklace underneath it. He picked up the necklace and rubbed the silver chain between his fingers. "Now that's very odd," he marveled, "That was just but a dream, and yet, here I am, with two things that I have never seen before in my life, that just seemed to pop out of my dream." 

He got up and got dressed. He grabbed the photo and the necklace from off of the bed and left his room to go find Kat. :Is she even going to believe me when I tell her how I got these: He couldn't help but ask himself as he made his way through the halls to her room. 

OOO 

Kind of a short chapter, but whatever. I don't think I'm going to be able to write for a while, I'm going to Virginia Beach for a meet this weekend and I'm also getting ready for States. So I just wanted to get this chapter out cuz I have no idea of when I'm going to be able to write more. Please review! 

-Rocky- 


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimers: See chapter 1.  
  
~*~  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Hi all! So sorry about the lack of updating, but when States was over (which I got 6th! Thanks all who wished me luck, you guys rock!), my computer died when I was half-way through with this chappy, so I had to rewrite the whole chapter on my parent's computer, which I had barely had any time to write on. I'm extremely pleased with this chapter, hope you all enjoy!  
  
~*~  
  
You're My Light in the Dark  
  
Chapter 19  
  
I awoke to a light shining in my eyes. I opened them slowly to find myself in an elegant room, to my right a big window allowing the sunlight to pour in. I couldn't really remember anything after I had gone to sleep. I sat up and felt a slight jab of pain shoot up my back.  
  
. . . The nightmare, the wraiths, the race, the Elvish chants. . .  
  
The memories were just a blur, as if I was just daydreaming or making them up, instead of them really happening. Perhaps it was just the pain or even the medicine Elrond had given me last night. ::Hum, pain or not, I am not gonna be cooped up. It never stopped me before, sure I had worked through it with the help of Advil, but I'm still not gonna let it stop me now.::  
  
I slipped out of bed slowly. "You should get your rest." Startled, I jumped slightly and turned around to find Gandalf sitting in a shadowed corner at the other side of the room. I could faintly see him smiling. "That was an awful cut you got, but thankfully with Lord Elrond's help you're already on the mend. You should really take your rest, no need of getting too tired before you fully heal."  
  
"Haha, if you think that I'm gonna just sit in bed for the next two to three days, you're funny, cuz that's just not me," I walked around the bed to get a better view of him, and he had a look of concern on his face. "Don't worry, I'll relax and take it easy, but I just can't stay in bed for more then a night unless I'm on my deathbed, and until then it ain't happenin'." He let out a small chuckle.  
  
"Hobbits are truly amazing, they have the strength that most only can dream about. And you," he stood up from his chair, walked over and kneeled to my level, "My dear Kat, I truly admire your strength." He pulled out a small bottle from his pocket and placed it in my hands. "Use these wisely." He then stood up. "There is someone waiting for you down at breakfast if you wish to see him," and he turned and left the room.  
  
I looked down into my hands and opened the bottle. Inside were little white pills, looking similar to aspirin. I smiled to myself. ::Thank you, Gandalf!:: I sighed and looked around the room to where I could find a change of clothes, out of the white nightgown I had on. Across the room there was a dresser, on top of the dresser, a pile of clothes. I walked over and found a picture frame face down at the top of the pile. ::Odd. . . :: I placed the bottle of what I believed to be aspirin on the dresser and picked up the picture.  
  
It was a picture of Lauren, Jill, and myself, huddled together in front of a Ferris wheel. I could remember that day clearly; it had been the summer before we had "moved" to Bag End. Our coaches had always given us a week off from our sports during the summer, so we had decided we were going to go to Cannobie Lake Park, a small amusement park near our house, during that week. I remembered that day clearly alright, damn clearly, maybe even a little too much. The ice cream we had gotten, the rides we had ridden, how when we had taken the picture the sun was in our eyes and the wind blew our hair all over our faces. Heck, I even remember the random guy we had take it.  
  
Underneath the picture was a necklace, one my grandmother had given me years ago. With a small, delicate silver chain, and a bright blue jewel. I always wore it when ever I wasn't at gym, along with my birthstone ring. It had been my lucky charm, so-to-speak.  
  
::How did these get here? They were in my old room. . .::  
  
I placed them back on the dresser and unfolded the pile of clothes. A couple of shirts, a few pairs of pants, and a handful of dresses. Hum, comfy clothes sound good. . .  
  
~*~  
  
I walked into the dining hall, which was empty except for Frodo; who sat near the back wall with an untouched plate of food in front of him, staring off into space. I went over to his table and sat across from him.  
  
"Yo, what up?" I asked, and he jumped at the sound of my voice.  
  
"Woah," he said, "You scared me."  
  
"Yeah, I kinda noticed," I laughed.  
  
"Are you feeling better?"  
  
"Much, thanks. Though you look like you have it worse than I do right now. What's the matter?"  
  
"I'm just tired. Didn't have a good night's sleep, is all," he replied, "How did you sleep?"  
  
"Ah, alright, but sleep isn't what's bothering me. When I awoke this morning I found two things that have been dear to me that I thought were lost long ago."  
  
"Aye, a picture and a necklace. Those have been on my mind all morning, and kind of gave me a scare when I woke up as well." He looked down at his plate and pushed it aside.  
  
"What do you mean? How do you know about them?" I asked.  
  
"Well, I had a dream last night, don't know whether to call it a nightmare or not, but it puzzled me nonetheless. First I dreamed that I was on Weathertop, with only Merry, Pip, and Sam; you and Lauren weren't there, and I almost gave the Ring to a wraith. And when I didn't, he stabbed me with an ice cold blade. Then I found myself in a golden wood with a little girl." Frodo debated with himself about telling Kat about the lass looking remarkably a great deal like her, but decided against it. He sighed and continued.  
  
"She led me to this big room, I now assume your old room, and gave me the necklace and picture. She told me they were yours then that was it, I woke up." He looked up from the table and looked her directly in the eyes, "But what disturbs me the most is that I highly doubt I was dreaming about that little lass and the room, because when I woke up, the picture and necklace were underneath my pillow. I brought them to your room, and when I saw you were still asleep, I put them where I knew you would find them and have been pondering about the whole ordeal right here since then."  
  
I couldn't believe my ears. Frodo actually dreamed of what was suppose to happen then he was in my old bedroom and brought back two of the items that I had loved most. But how. . .and why? How Lauren and I had even gotten here, to Middle Earth, in the first place is beyond me, I still haven't figured it out and probably never will.  
  
It was against all I was ever taught about logic and common sense, which I probably have lost a long time ago. There is a difference between fantasy and reality. Reality is real and fantasy is make-believe. But what is reality? What is real? Everything here was supposedly "make-believe", and yet everything seems real. If you can see it, if you can feel it, then it is real. But I can do both in both "worlds", so what does that make me? It was all starting to make my head hurt.  
  
"Well, whatever happens, happens and we really shouldn't dwell on it, especially since we cannot explain it. Besides, we have to get ready to greet our friends so that we can be prepared for the meeting tomorrow," I said while standing up.  
  
"You're right, as usual," he said while standing up. I grinned at him. He paused and thought for a moment, "Wait a minute, how did you know about the meeting tomorrow? I never got around to telling you about that."  
  
I sighed and smacked my lips, "I just know; I have my ways." I started walking out of the dining hall toward the front gates to wait our companion's arrival, Frodo following closely behind. 


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1. 

**Author's Notes**: 

This chappy had songs, but I had to cut them out due to ff dot net's new rules. So if it's choppy, that's why. I'll fix it up as soon as I get the chance. Please understand. :) 

OOO 

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 20_

Frodo and I sat outside beside Rivendell's front gates, waiting for our friends' arrival. It was almost noon and a slight breeze was blowing my brown curly hair around in circles. 

"Do you think they're having any trouble getting here, with those Black Riders still about?" Frodo asked. 

"No, well I couldn't imagine they would anyway, the Wraiths were after you and the ring," I replied. 

"Yeah but, why did that Rider attack you then if they were only after me?" 

I closed my eyes and sighed. "I don't know." Of course I had a few good ideas why. 1) I changed the story-line. 2) Because I am here and I'm not suppose to be. 3) The Wraith was out for revenge. 

"Hey, look!" I heard Frodo say, and my head snapped up at his voice. "Do you see them? That must be them up the road!" He said excitedly. I peered down the road and indeed saw a party. 

"Yes. Thank god that they are finally here." 

OOO 

"Kat! Mr. Frodo! Oh, thank goodness!" Sam said as they came running up to us. Next thing I knew, I was in one of Lauren's famous "vice-grips of death." 

"Ah! Ow, Lauren! Jeez!" 

"We were so worried about you two!" 

"Lauren-" 

"With all those Wraiths out. . ." 

"Um, ouch-" 

"They were all chasing you guys. . ." 

"LAUREN!" I yelled. She automatically pulled back shocked, closed her mouth tight, then flashed an uneasy smile. 

"Oh, sorry," She said quickly and bit her lip. Frodo glanced around. 

"Where's Strider?" he asked. 

"Oh, we had a race up here and he did not wish to participate in it," Merry replied. 

"Yes, and I won!" Pippin shouted happily, jumping around. 

"No you didn't, I did!" Merry protested. 

"What are you talking about? I so won!" 

"Na uh, no you didn't!" 

"Yes I did!" 

Now at this point, they were getting very loud, and extremely annoying. 

"Hey!" Frodo shouted over them. They both stopped yelling at each other and looked at him. 

"Now you see, you're both wrong. Sam got here first," I said. They both gave me an evil look and continued with their bickering. "Well, at least I tried." 

"Now, what would you call them again?" Sam asked Lauren, who had just recently started teaching Sam "proper" insults. 

"Hum, I believe idiots would fit this scenario," she replied. "But of course you can always add more adjectives in there to make it all the more meaningful," when all she received was a confused face she added, "Descriptive insults." 

"Ah." 

OOO 

That night when we arrived in the dinning hall, it was extremely crowded with many different races. Most were elves of course, a few tables to the right were of dwarves, beside them were the men, a long table was to the left, and to what I assumed to be the important people of Rivendell sat there. Elrond sat up at the head of the table, Arwen to his right, then Aragorn. To his left was Gandlaf, then the twins, Elledan and Elrohir, Arwen's two brothers, I believe. 

"Oi! Did we come late or something? Did they already eat?" Pippin asked worried. 

"Oh, pipe down, Pippin," Lauren said. 

"Is that our table over there?" Sam pointed out. Merry shrugged. 

"Must be," Frodo replied and we all walked over and took our seats. Aragorn smiled and nodded at us then whispered something in Arwen's ear. 

"Well, at least some things won't be altered by our presence," I whispered to Lauren. She smiled and nodded. 

Elrond stood and waited for the hall to quiet down. "Friends, do not let recent troubles burden you this night. Be merry and enjoy yourselves!" 

OOO 

After dinner, Elrond invited everyone into the Hall of Fire. As we entered the room, it was a fairly large dimly lit room with a bright fire burning in a great hearth between the carven pillars on either side of the room. There were no tables, but many chairs along the outskirts of the room. Elvish minstrels were already playing their fair music, and all and all the room was quite peaceful and welcoming. 

As the room began to fill, I noticed Elrond go over to a dark corner and wake somebody. The figure slowly sat up, thus allowing the firelight to pass over his familiar face. 

"Frodo! Look over there!" I nodded toward the corner. He followed my gaze and jumped up. 

"Bilbo!" he cried and ran over to the elderly hobbit, followed by Lauren and myself. 

"Frodo, my Lad! You're finally here! And, my, my! The Lasses are here as well! Now isn't that an awful nice surprise!" Bilbo exclaimed. 

"Where have you been, Bilbo? We haven't seen head or tail of you since we arrived!" Frodo asked. 

"I had heard of your coming, but had no idea you would be here so soon, my dear boy! I also had no awares of the Lasses being here as well," he said then added, "Though I must say that I enjoy the surprise very much." 

"Sam, Pippin, and Merry are here as well," Lauren added. 

"Oh? Indeed! Lovely chaps, they are. I'm terribly sorry, but I must go off now and find my old friend, Dunadan, and see if he can help me finish my song. Sleeping, my Lord?" he scowled playfully at Elrond, "I shall say not! I wasn't sleeping, just having a bit of a hard time with the last few lines of my song. Hum, now where is he?" 

"Who's Dunadan, Bilbo?" I asked. I hadn't recalled the name. 

"Oh, well, bless me, there he is! I shall see you later, my dears!" and he ran off, followed by Elrond, over to Strider, who was sitting across the room smoking a pipe. 

I laughed. "I should have known." 

"Should have known what exactly?" Frodo asked. 

"That by "Dunadan" Bilbo meant Strider," I replied. 

"How would you have known that?" 

"Strider has many names, or so I've heard," I said. I looked around. "Hey, where'd Lauren go?" Frodo glanced around as well. 

"I dunno," he looked over to where Strider, Bilbo, and Sam sat. "Oh, no," he breathed. 

"What?" 

"Merry and Pippin aren't with Sam." 

"Yeah, but do you really think that they would . . .?" 

Frodo nodded. "I really think that they would." 

"But, we're guests! And plus, Lauren's probably with them, I don't think she'll let them do any damage." He gave me a doubtful look. "Sure, she likes to have fun every once in a while, but it's not like her. She'll make sure that they won't do anything too stupid," I said. "Or at least I hope she will." 

Then we heard Bilbo singing, faint at first and then clearer ran the words. When Bilbo finished his long song, he bowed, and everyone in the hall cheered. We grinned and clapped along with everyone else. When Bilbo sat back down, I stood up from my chair and climbed on top of it. Frodo just looked up at me and smiled. 

I scanned the room, eyes were on me from every direction. _'Eek! Talk about stage fright! How does Bilbo do it? One elf is intimidating enough, never mind a whole lot of them watching you! Whatever, I wanted to sing, so damn it, I'm gonna!'_ I just took a deep breath, and the words just seemed to flow. . . I sang of brotherhood and unity... mixing the message in my lyrics, and how we must work together to overcome the dangers ahead. 

I bowed my head as I finished my song, and the hall cheered. I sat back down in my chair and sighed. I just wished that they got the message, they have to believe. . . 

A few minutes later I started to become groggy with sleep and shook my head to relieve the feeling slightly. I looked over at Frodo, who was hunched over and already dreaming. "Yo, Fro-" 

"Ah, no need to be doing that my dear," Gandalf interrupted while coming over to us. "The Hall of Fire often makes one sleepy if not use to it. The elves will place him in his chambers soon enough without waking him, believe me, they've had enough practice. Though you, my dear, are still up and should be getting ready to sleep soon. There's a council tomorrow, you and Lauren are invited to join if you wish, and you'll be needing your sleep for that." 

"Hold up. . .why are Lauren and I invited?" I asked. 

"You're the representatives for the Shire, of course." 

"Um, okay, but why us?" 

"Oh, you silly hobbit. Do you really think that I would let those troublemakers in on the council?" he laughed. "No more questions, now! Off to bed you go, for early you must rise!" 

OOO 

Please review! 

-Rocky- 


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimers: See chapter 1. 

Author's Note: 

Reviews would be most appreciated. I have limited time to write on my parent's computers, therefore I haven't been able to respond to all of you individually, but I would greatly like to have more reviews than what I've been getting. Reviews are your input or ideas, which is my inspiration, which keeps me going. It feels good when you know people are reading your work. Hope you guys enjoy this! Be prepared, very long chapter ahead! 

You're My Light in the Dark 

Chapter 21 

The next morning I went down to the dining hall fairly early for first breakfast, for I didn't know what time the council was exactly. Hardly anyone was there, most probably still hung over from the night before. But to my surprise, I found Lauren already there and stuffing her face, literally. 

"Hey, Kat! Watcha doin' down 'ere this early?" she greeted with a mouth full of food. 

"Just gonna ask you the same, you're never up at this hour. I thought I was gonna have to wake you." 

"Well," she swallowed, "Gandalf woke me up so very rudely this morning. Throwing me out of bed actually, and insisted, no, demanded that I 'get my lazy butt up and be something useful for once.' Though, he never told me what that 'something' was, so because he wouldn't even let me touch my bed with a ten foot pole, I decided to have an early breakfast." 

"You're unbelievable." 

"So I've been told," she laughed as she popped another raspberry into her mouth. 

"I didn't mean that as a compliment," I said. "Do you remember the story at all?" I couldn't believe her. She wasn't even listening to me; she was way too busy enjoying her food to even be bothered by what I had to say! "Lauren!" I snapped my fingers in front of her face, "Were you even listening to me?" 

"Hum?" 

"Hello?! News flash! Something of great importance is gonna be happening today! Do you even remember what?" 

"Um, dunno. The terrible two and I planned to annoy the Elvish guards today, but that was about it," she replied shrugging her shoulders.  
  
I leaned forward and started banging my head on the table. "Are you that thick?! The council's today! You know, the one where Elrond announces the Fellowship!" 

She stopped short, and almost choked. "Oh my god! That's today?!" 

"Yeah, that's what I've been trying to tell you! You've been spending way too much time with Brandybucks and Tooks if you managed to forget that," I said. 

"But why are we going to the council? We're not important! Damn it, Gandalf! You woke me up for no reason!" 

"Actually, I guess that we are important. We're the representatives for the Shire." 

"WHAT?!" 

"We're the Shire reps.," I said simply. 

"No, I understood you." She said, "But what I don't understand is why we are. There weren't suppose to be any!" 

"No kidding. That's what I've been trying to figure out," I said leaning over closer to her, "But, I think Gandalf knows something." 

"Knows what?" 

"Knows that we're not from here. I think he's our key to finding out why we were brought here." 

"Maybe, but I don't wanna go back anytime soon!" she said. 

"Neither do I." 

"Don't ask him about it." 

"Why? What harm will it do?" 

"He might send us back or something, just don't do it. Even if it won't do anything, I'll feel better," she said. 

"Alright, I won't," I said as I stood up. "But it's getting late. The council's gonna be starting soon. Have you seen Frodo at all?" 

"Nope, haven't seen any of our friends. I think I saw Legolas and Aragorn earlier, and I saw a party of Men arrive right before I came here, though." 

"Hum, that must've been Boromir. Well, I best go off and find Frodo. Can you go find out what time the council is, and meet you at my room in a half?" (hour) 

"Uh, sure." 

  
  
I reached his door, and for some odd reason, I felt hesitant to knock, almost nervous. ::Why do I feel like this? Frodo and I are just friends, best of friends sure, but that's all we'll ever be. That's all I'll allow it to be. He has his fate and I have mine. His fate . . . :: I finally got up my nerve and knocked on the door. 

"Frodo? Frodo, you there?" 

No reply. 

I waited a few more moments, no movement inside the room at all. I turned the doorknob, which to my surprise wasn't locked, and pushed the door open. It was a bright room with many windows and a balcony; it had a similar set up as mine. On the bed, which was by all means way too big for hobbitish standards, lay Frodo curled up in a ball with the blankets on the floor. 

"Frodo?" I went over and sat down on the side of the bed. No stir whatsoever. I tucked some loose curls behind his ear and started tickling his cheek. He only started to smile at my touch. "Come on, Frodo! You gotta get up!" 

"Hum?" he said as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Hey. . . how did I get here? I don't remember coming up here, though actually, I don't recall much from last night." 

I chuckled. "Man, what Gandalf said you were gonna be out like a light, he wasn't kidding. Now come on, you gotta get ready. The council's gonna be starting soon." 

"Ah! There you are!" Gandalf said as we approached my door. Lauren was leaning against it and biting the inside of her cheek. She looked up and grinned. "Come, follow me. It's time." 

Gandalf took the lead, us following close behind. We followed him through all the winding hallways, having to run after him because of his long strides compared to ours. "Come on, come on! Keep up!" 

We eventually found ourselves on a big balcony surrounded by beautiful waterfalls. There were a big circle of chairs, in the middle was a large stone pedestal. Many people were already there, most eyeing us as we walked to our seats. I don't know why, maybe because Lauren and I are women and what we are dealing with here are a bunch of sexist assholes, or perhaps it was just the mere fact that the three of us are hobbits and have rarely been seen by them before. I don't really care what their reasons are though, I can feel their eyes on us, staring. I just wanted to take a stick and poke their eyes out. Maybe then they'll learn some manners.

When everyone had arrived, Elrond stood. "Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands on the brink of destruction. You will unite or you will fall," he said, "Bring forth the ring, Frodo." He motioned toward the pedestal. 

Frodo went up, placed the ring down, and sat back down with a sigh. Whispers spread throughout the council like rapidfire. One voice raised above all others. 

"So it is true . . ." a man, I supposed to Boromir said as he stood. "It is a gift, a gift from the very fires of Mordor! Why not use this ring?" he started pacing about, "Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe! Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy, and let us use it against him!" 

"You cannot use it!" Strider interupted and when Boromir glared he continued, "None of us can! The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master!" 

"And what would a ranger know of this matter?" he questioned mockingly. 

At this a tall blonde haired elf jumped up angrily. "This is no mere ranger! He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your alligence." 

"This . . .is Isildur's heir?" he stammered. 

"And heir to the throne of Gondor." 

Frodo's eyes widened in shock. He turned and looked at me with a questioning look; I returned it with a smile. 

"Havo dad, Legolas," Aragorn said. (Sit down.) "Gondor has no king, Gondor needs no king," Boromir muttered while taking his seat. 

To prevent any more arguments Gandalf said quickly, "Aragorn is right. We cannot use it." 

"You have but one choice. The ring must be destroyed," Elrond said simply. A dwarf rose impatiently.  
  
"What are we waiting for?" he asked, then grabbed an axe from one of his companions, and with a cry and all his might he struck the ring. There was a loud bang and Frodo jumped in his seat, grabbed his head, and started breathing heavily. I placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Are you okay?" I whispered. He had his head in his hands and was stealing glances of horror at the ring. He nodded slowly, closed his eyes, and sighed. On his other side, Lauren sat looking at him worriedly, and then gave me a weak smile.  
  
"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin by any craft that we here possess." Gimli was several feet away from the pedestal, on his back surrounded by his companions. The axe lay shattered in pieces atop the pedestal and on the floor around it. "The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came."  
  
Evil whispers in the black speech could be heard. "Ash nazg . . ." (one ring) I could hear it inside my head, the same freighting voice that plagued my dreams only but less then a month ago in the comforts of my room at Bag End. It had seemed so behind us, like it was years, not just a couple of weeks ago.  
  
Elrond snapped me out of my thoughts. "One of you must do this." The council fell silent for several moments. "One does not simply walk into Mordor," Boromir stated. "Its black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. And the great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland. Riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly!"  
  
Legolas stood. "Have you heard nothing that Lord Elrond just said? The ring must be destroyed!"  
  
"And I suppose you think that you're the one to do it?!" Gimli said while he leapt to his feet. Boromir then rose as well.  
  
"And what if we fail, what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?!"  
  
"I will be dead before I see the ring in the hands of an elf!" Gimli spat. The other elves stood and began shouting at Gimli and the dwarves. "Never trust an elf!" Legolas had to hold his companions back to prevent a full out brawl.  
  
Gandalf stood and began shouting at them. "Do you not understand that while we bicker among ourselves, Sauron's power grows?! None can escape it!" However, no one was heeding his words; they were too consumed in insulting each other.  
  
Frodo sat up straight and watched everyone arguing. He shook his head. "And to think, they're all at each others throats over a blasted ring." I smiled at his words. ::I think he's been spending a little too much time with me, I think I rubbed off on him.:: He stood up and tried to get their attention, to get his voice heard over all theirs, but to no avail.  
  
Lauren and I exchanged glances, yup, we were thinking the same thing. We both climbed on top of our chairs and stood. Lauren counted on her fingers 1, 2, 3 . . . and we both yelled, "Yo! Will you dudes just chill out?!" Everyone immediately stopped and just stared at us. Well, what have we learned today kids? The only way to get a hobbit even acknowledged at a council like this is to speak all "ghetto." Strange, I know, but hey, at least it worked.  
  
"I believe Frodo has something important to say," I said.  
  
"I will take the ring to Mordor," he said as all eyes were on him, "Though . . . I do not know the way."  
  
Gandalf smiled, "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear." He stood behind Frodo and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will," Aragorn said then kneeled before Frodo. "You have my sword."  
  
"And you have my bow," Legolas said, then stood beside the hobbit.  
  
"And my axe!" Gimli chipped in while he and Legolas glared at each other.  
  
Boromir approached him slowly. "You carry the fate of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done."  
  
Sam then came running out from behind some pillars near the edge of the balcony. "Heh!" he said as he pushed his way to Frodo's side. "Mr. Frodo's not goin' anywhere without me!"  
  
"No indeed," Elrond said slightly amused, "It's hard enough to separate you two, even when he's summoned to a secret council and you are not."  
  
Hearing this, Merry and Pippin came running out of their hiding spots shouting, "Hey, wait! We're coming too!" and placed themselves in the middle of the group.  
  
"And you're gonna have to send us home in a sack to stop us!" Merry said to a now irritated Elrond.  
  
"Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission . . . quest . . . thing!" Pippin said.  
  
"Well, I guess that rules you out, Pip," Lauren laughed as we came over to the group.  
  
"Nine companions . . . so be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!" Elrond declared.  
  
"Great! Now, uh, where are we going?" questioned Pippin, resulting in Merry hitting him along side the head. "Ow!"  
  
Frodo and Sam had realized something that Pippin and Merry did not; Lauren and I weren't part of the Fellowship. However, we had already made up a plan of our own.

  
  
Alrighty! I finally finished that! Whew! Hope you guys liked that long chappy, 2,420 words, to be exact. Now since it is late, I am off to bed. Please review!  
  
Rocky  
  



	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimers: See chapter 1.  
  
**Reviewers!!!** (Yaya! I actually have time to reply today! Woot!)  
  
Kess: COFFEE! Must have the almighty savior! All must bow to coffee and the power of caffeine! Muahahahaha! Yeah, I haven't it in a while either. I'm just way over tired. :-)  
  
PippinsPirate: I go through those weird-ass phases as well. Now, I am on complete writer's mode.  
  
**Author's Note**:  
Hum, I finished this chapter faster than the last two. Go me! dances Hope this is good!

**You're My Light in the Dark  
  
Chapter 22  
**  
**L**ater on that evening, my sister and I sat in her room. Frodo was off visiting Bilbo, Sam was taking care of Bill the pony, and Merry and Pippin were either eating or off causing trouble. (Or perhaps doing both at the same time.) Though for once this was actually a good thing for us; we were now going to have the time to talk over our plans alone.  
  
"We're not apart of the Fellowship," I said.  
  
"No shit, Sherlock," she replied while laying face down on her bed. "What are we going to do now? We thought that we were brought here to help, and how are we going to be able to do that if we're not even going?"  
  
"Well, who said that we're not going?" I asked. Lauren's head immediately snapped up.  
  
"Are you saying that we're gonna follow them?" I nodded in reply. "But won't they just send us back? Like Gandalf, Aragorn, and Boromir?"  
  
"Probably, if they had a choice. But if we meet up with them far enough away from Rivendell, they wouldn't have one and they'll have to allow us to stay with them."  
  
"Yeah, but exactly how far away are we talking? It will be pretty hard for us to follow them for long without anyone knowing, especially Legolas."  
  
"Maybe not follow them exactly, we know where they're gonna be going, so kinda just meet up with them somewhere," I said.  
  
Lauren sat deep in thought for a moment. "Where? Where should we meet them?" she asked. "Where could we meet them without them knowing of our presence beforehand? We probably have to get somewhere before they do. We can't do Caradhras, they'll get there before us, Lorien is too far away, and the only place left is . . ."  
  
"Moria. That's our best shot. The Fellowship will try Caradhras and get stuck because of Saruman, then Frodo will have them go through the mines. Them going up the mountain will give us enough time to get there before they do," I said. "Now the only problem about us not following them is that we're not going to have any idea about how to get there."  
  
"We could use a map," Lauren suggested.  
  
"Where are we gonna find one though?"  
  
"Library?"  
  
"Alright, problem number two is solved. Now onto problem number three, we need to learn how to defend ourselves."  
  
"Hey! Speak for yourself! I can defend myself perfectly fine, thank you very much," Lauren said.  
  
"I know you can, and so can I."  
  
"Yeah, you can just flip over anyone in your way."  
  
"And you have the meanest headlock I have ever seen," I commented while receiving a grin. "It's just that, well, we're not experienced with swords at all, and when the time comes, we're gonna need to know how to wield one. A headlock can only go so far against an orc."  
  
"Okay, good point. But who's going to teach us? It's not like we can go and ask someone in the Fellowship."  
  
I racked my brain. I couldn't think of anyone who would help us. "I dunno." My sister's face fell. "Don't worry, we'll figure something out."  
  
**T**he next few day past pretty uneventful. Well, if you exclude the pranks that Pippin, Lauren, and Merry were playing on Sam and the Elvish guards of course. But othe than thatit was peaceful being in Rivendell. I had found a few good maps in the library, um, Elrond's private library, actually. I hope he doesn't find them missing. Lauren said that she would find someone, or at this point, any way to learn how to wield a sword period. I have faith in her. She always has something up her sleeve.  
  
**I** sat at the desk in my room, looking over the newly found maps, when there was a knock on my door. "Come in!" I shuffled the maps into a drawer when I heard the door open. I turned around to find Frodo standing in the doorway. "Hey! What's up?"  
  
"Oh, um, nothing really. What are you up to?"  
  
"Same."  
  
"I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk? I heard the gardens are spectacular," he said.  
  
"Yeah! I'd love to," I replied. I went out, closed the door behind me, and we started making our way down the hall.  
  
"Where has everyone been? Ever since we arrived, it has seemed like none of us has spent any time together."  
  
"I know the troublesome three has been spending a lot of time annoying people, or at least I've heard the screams of the victims. Though, I haven't seen Sam for a while. I think he's been busy taking care of Bill," I said. We finally reached the gardens, which were quite beautiful.  
  
"Now isn't this a sight?" Frodo awed.  
  
"Yup," I replied, "But I still don't think they hold a candle to any of Sam's gardens." He nodded in agreement.  
  
We started walking down the many different paths and we seemed to drift further and further away from the House. We talked of old times, of Lily and Rosie, and all the many different things that we had experienced during the years that passed since we had met on that fateful day in the woods. Well, more like when he found me.  
  
"Do you know when you guys are leaving?" I asked.  
  
"In a couple of months, I think. Elrond sent Strider's sword away to be fixed, so I think we're just waiting for that to be ready," Frodo replied.  
  
"Are you nervous?"  
  
"About what?" he asked.  
  
"You know, about leaving for the quest and all," I said.  
  
"Uh, yes, I suppose. I haven't really been thinking all that much about it, actually. Though, now that you mention it, I guess that you could say that I am."  
  
We walked in silence for a while, enjoying each other's company, taking in the colorful sight around us. The sun was starting to set and was causing the sky to turn pink and the clouds purple. The gardens ended and there was a huge meadow in front of us.  
  
"You know, I kind of wish that you and Lauren were coming with us. I'm going to miss you, Kate," he said, "We all are."  
  
**A** little more then a month later, I had traced out our route to Moria. It shouldn't be all that difficult, we just have to cut across meadows and a lot of rough and rocky terrain and we're basically there. It'll only be hard if we get attacked (knocks on wood), which might be a tiny problem, cuz Lauren still hasn't talked to me about the sword training since she said that she would figure something out. Arwen suspects us going, which is alright I guess. We still are whether she approves of it or not.  
  
**I** sat out in an open spot on the training grounds one day, waiting for Lauren so we could condition together. ::Where is she? She's late and we have to train even harder than usual because it's getting close to the day when we have to leave.::  
  
"Kat! Kat!" my little sister called as she ran up carrying . . . swords?  
  
"You found someine to teach us?" She smiled.  
  
"Uh, no." She dropped the swords at her feet. "But, for like the past month now, I have been spending most of my time studying."  
  
"Studying for what exactly?" I asked, "You can't really learn how to sword fight by reading about it."  
  
"Who ever said that I read about it? Come on, you should know me better than that," she said. "I've sat and watched people train."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Let me finish. I've sat and studied how other people do it. It's not that difficult, we'll manage." She picked up a sword and began twirling it around.  
  
"Well, I guess we're gonna have to. Our time is running out," I picked up a sword and examined it. "Hey, sis?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"How did you get a hold of these?"  
  
"I paid a little trip to the armory and just borrowed a few items of my choice," Lauren replied.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Well," she asked impatiently, "Are we going to start training, or are we gonna stand here staring at our weapons till the Fellowship leaves?"  
  
I spun my sword around my head and pointed it at her. "Lets do this."  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
**A/N**: Woot! Another chapter done! Review pretty please! (puppy dog eyes)


	23. Chapter 23

_Disclaimers: See chapter 1.  
_

_**Reviewers!!!**  
  
Ash: Hey, girl! I was planning on having Frodo "announce" his feelings right before he left. Such a shy lil hobbit . . . Anyways, I still dedicate this chapter to you cuz you pleaded so nicely. :-) Oh, and one other thing. Please, please, PLEASE, (lol, look who's pleading now.) promote the site. Since I just started it, not many people know of it, so, PROMOTE LIKE THE CRAZY FANGIRLS THAT WE ARE! _

_Kess: Haha, I can't spell in French for beans either. Wait, I can't even spell in English. Lol.  
  
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_Moralinde:_ _Wow! Two reviews in one day! I love you! (HUGS)  
  
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Miss Coconuts: Thank ya! (hands over cake and cookies) Enjoy your read! lol.   
  
**Author's Notes:  
**  
Eeeeeee! Reviews! I feel loved, thank ya guys. Okay, I don't wanna hold you up any longer, you did come here to read more of the story after all . . . or, at least I hope you did. :P  
_

**You're My Light in the Dark**  
  
_Chapter 23_

"Frodo, you are gonna tell her, right?" Merry asked while watching him pack.  
  
"Tell who what?" he asked playing dumb.  
  
"Please tell me that you're planning on telling Kat that you love her," Merry said sternly. A blush creeped up on Frodo's cheeks. "Frodo?" Merry demanded.  
  
"Not exactly, no. I was planning on giving her a special goodbye and telling her that I cared about her. Love . . . is a really strong word."  
  
"Aye, it is. But you do love her, don't you?"  
  
Frodo turned an even deeper shade of red. "Yes," he whispered.  
  
"Then what are you waiting for?" Merry asked. Frodo shrugged.  
  
"Shouldn't I be asking you the same thing?" he asked. "It's not like you've told Lauren about your feelings."  
  
"What feelings are you talking about?" Merry questioned then started cracking up laughing. "Oh, that's good, real good. You thought . . . ha!"  
  
"And what, you don't?"  
  
"No actually. We're just friends."  
  
"Oh," Frodo said. "I'm sorry I assumed."  
  
"Quite alright," he replied. "When are you gonna do it?"  
  
"I don't know, Merry," Frodo said getting slightly annoyed.  
  
"You got to do it sometime soon, we are leaving tomorrow you know."  
  
"I know, Merry," his nerves raised a little more.  
  
Then Merry had an idea, "Why don't you go and do it now?"  
  
"Merry!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Just shut up! I will tell her when I feel the time is right!" Frodo yelled.  
  
Merry paused gaping at him like a dead fish for a moment. Though, that outburst didn't keep him quiet for long. "What about now?"  
  
"Okay! That's it! Out! Out!" Frodo opened his door and pointed out into the hall. Merry then had an idea. He pretended to mope to the door, then grabbed Frodo's hand and started running down the hall! "Let me go!"  
  
Merry answered that one nice and simple, "No." He kept dragging him toward Kate's room.  
  
"I'm kinda nervous about this, Kat," Lauren said as we packed our things together. "What if we get lost or something? What if we miss them? What if-"  
  
"Stop those 'what ifs' alright? Nothing's gonna happen. We're gonna be fine," I said. "Believe me, what ifs don't get you anywhere, I've learned from experience. You gotta do what your heart tells you and just go with the flow."  
  
All of a sudden, there were many bangs and shouts from outside the door.  
  
"Merry! I'm not going to do it right now! Cut that out! Ah!" Frodo's muffled voice was heard.  
  
"Oh, yes you will! You were planning on doing it anyway!"  
  
"So? I'll do it when the time is right, like I have already told you!"  
  
Lauren started laughing. "I wonder what they're up to. If Frodo's part of a prank, this should be pretty interesting."  
  
"I don't think he's part of a prank, you know Frodo. But I do wonder what they're yelling about. The elves near by aren't gonna be too happy." I opened the door to find Merry and Frodo wrestling around on the floor of the hallway, the elves walking by giving them looks of disgust and annoyance. "Uh . . ."  
  
"What's the matter?" Lauren came to look as well, and then started laughing hysterically.  
  
"Um, you know, I'm not even gonna ask," I said. "Come on, Lauren, lets go get something to eat," I said loudly. Merry immediately stopped dead.  
  
"Lunch? Sounds good! Can we come?" he asked excitedly. Frodo hit him.  
  
"You made me go through all that just to stop in the middle?" Merry paused and seemed to maul over it for a moment.  
  
He nodded. "Mhum."   
  
The day had past quickly, much more quickly than anyone's liking. The hobbits spent the whole afternoon practically inseparable, for the first time since they left their home. Now it was after supper. Lauren was off "helping" the other three to find and pack food for the next day. But I knew what she was up to. I'm gonna have to remember to thank her later.  
  
"We're not going to see each other again after I leave, are we?" Frodo asked. We both lay sprawled out on our backs out on my balcony, looking up at the stars.  
  
"I don't know, Frodo," I replied while sitting up. "Maybe, you never know." I took the blue pendant necklace out of my pocket. "But I want you to have this." I said while holding it out to him. He took it carefully and seemed to be in a daze. "What's wrong?"  
  
_::She wants you to have it . . . ::  
_  
"Nothing, nothing is wrong. It was a dream. Only a dream. Nothing but a dream. Nothing more," he said. He stroked my cheek gently with his fingers then slowly leaned in and claimed my lips with his.  
  
The next day was very sad for all of us. Well, more for the guys of our group, anyway. They all thought that they probably weren't gonna see Lauren and myself again. Not that I blame them, if I was in their position I would be thinking the very same thing. After many hugs and goodbyes from my other friends, lastly I came over to Frodo and hugged him. "I'm gonna miss you, Kate," he whispered in my ear.

I sighed and found myself saying, "Future dreams can never last if you find yourself still living in the past. Keep moving on, to higher ground, looking for the way you thought could not be found." I backed up slightly and kissed his forehead gently. "Be strong. And don't let the darkness consume you." He smiled and turned to leave with the rest of the group.

Lauren and I sat on top of a wall, looking over the path leading out of the city, watching the Fellowship leave. "You know Lauren, I told Frodo to be strong and not let the darkness consume him. He only smiled and nodded."

"Well, it's going to be easier said than done," she replied.

"I know. We both have known that all along. But, I don't think he realizes what he's in for," I said. "None of them do, really, now that I think about it."  
  
Down on the path, Sam was in the rear leading Bill. He stopped and glanced up at us on our perch. I raised my arm signaling goodbye and Lauren saluted him. I could have sworn that I saw him smile a sad smile before he finally waved back and caught up with the rest of the group. "Until our next meeting," Lauren whispered.

_**A/N**_: _Yeah, finally finished! I really like this chappy for some reason . . . hum, whatever. Anyways, please review! Laters guys!  
_  
**Rocky**


	24. Chapter 24

_Disclaimers: See chapter 1.  
  
**Reviewers!!!**  
  
Ash: Thanks! Sorry, kinda forgot to tell you to promote before, completely my bad. :)  
  
Lilya: Hum, I dunno if I'm gonna make Lauren fall for someone yet. (scratches head)  
  
PippinPirate: I guess I should have made my ending statement a little more clearer. That wasn't the end of the story. (Well, you probably already guessed since, uh, here's another chapter, lol.) But I'm glad you like my story enough to want more. (hugs)  
  
EverAfter-01: Actually, I've never seen the cartoon version. (Some die- hard devoted fan I am, huh? lol. But I swears I bow down to the precious, I swears!) No Name: Wow! Another gymnast and skater family? Cool. _

_LavaAngel: Thanks! And your fic is awesome so far! :)  
  
galadrielady945: Lol. Here it is!  
_

**You're My Light in the Dark  
**  
_Chapter 24_  
  
"Are we there yet?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"So we are there?"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"What about now?"  
  
"Lauren!" I snapped. This was what our whole trip has been like ever since we left Rivendell at dusk. My patience was growing thin. Actually, if you want to get technical about it, it was already long gone. "Does it look like we're there yet?"  
  
"Uh . . . no," she replied while looking around at the field that surrounded us.  
  
"Good, then we are now on the same page." I looked up at the moon and sighed. It looked like a shining jewel among the dark sky that surrounded it. "You know, the sky back at home was never that beautiful."  
  
"What are you talking about? It's the same sky as back in the Shire."  
  
"No, you know what I mean. Back home, as in, back in New Hampshire."  
  
"Oh, our old home. Yeah, I agree." She paused and stopped walking. She looked around, took off her pack, and plopped herself down on the ground.  
  
"What are you doing?" I asked.  
  
"Dude, I'm pooped. Can we please rest here for the night? We can always start again in the morning."  
  
"We've only been walking for like three hours. We need to catch up with them."  
  
"I know but after my little fight with Arwen I'm tired," she replied. "How about we run to make it up in the morning?"  
  
I chuckled at the thought. Earlier that afternoon was classic. Arwen knew what we had planned, and tried to prevent us from doing it. Now, I only wanted to perhaps knock her out. But no, Lauren had to go ahead and do what she wanted. Let's just say that the results were Lauren being badly bruised and very shaken up, while Arwen ended up being tied up, gagged, and locked in my closet. You go on and fill in the blanks.  
  
Defeated, I sighed and let my pack fall to the ground. "You know, you wouldn't be so dead if we had just done it my way."  
  
"Hey! If I had known that she had the potential to kick some major ass, I would have gladly done it your way, Kat!" Lauren said.  
  
"Oh, yeah. Mhum, yeah, okay," I said sarcastically.  
  
"What? I would've!"  
  
"Come on, Lauren. We gotta get some sleep. I'll take first watch and wake you in a few hours."  
  
"Alright, but no jokes. I really don't feel like waking up to something being glued to my head or some other nasty trick you may have up your sleeve," she said while laying out her bedroll on getting in it.  
  
I held up my hand. "Hobbitses honor."  
  
"Very funny." She turned over onto her side and was asleep soon after.  
  
When I could hear her snoring softly, I looked up into the sky once again. The stars glittered around the moon like a blanket. After a short while, I found my thoughts were with a certain hobbit who had dark curly hair and bright blue eyes. Little did I know; that very hobbit was laying in his bedroll, looking up at the very same moon and sky, thinking about me.  
  
"We must hold this course west of the Misty Mountains for forty days. If our luck holds, the Gap of Rohan will still be open to us. From there our road turns east to Mordor," Frodo heard Gandalf say from behind him. He sat on a rock with Sam at the Company's camp, watching Boromir try to teach Merry and Pippin how to wield a sword. Every now and then, however, he was able to eavesdrop on Gandalf's conversation with Gimli.  
  
"Two, three, four, five. Good, very good," Boromir commented Mery.  
  
"Move your feet," Aragorn corrected while watching Pippin have a go at it.  
  
"That's good, Pippin," Merry said.  
  
"Thanks," he replied.  
  
"Okay, now faster!" Boromir said.  
  
"If anyone was to ask for my opinion, which I note that they're not, I'd say that we were taking the long way round," Frodo could hear Gimli say. "Gandalf, we could pass through the Mines of Moria. My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome."  
  
"No, Gimli," Gandalf replied, "I would not take the roads through Moria unless I had no other choice."  
  
"Aaahh!" Pippin yelped. Frodo turned his attention back to the sword lessons, which he guessed that Boromir nicked Pippin accidentally.  
  
"Sorry!" Boromir said while going closer to take a look at it. Though, Pippin only kicked his shin in reply.  
  
"Ah!" Boromir said in surprise.  
  
"Get him!" Merry cried. Soon enough, the three were wrestling around on the ground, Aragorn and Frodo laughing hysterically, and Sam was just shaking his head muttering something like, "Tooks."  
  
"For the Shire! Hold 'em Merry! Hold 'em!"  
  
"Ah! He got my arm! He got my arm!"  
  
Over the commotion of the wrestling match, Sam noticed Legolas staring at a dark cloud in the sky. "What is that?"  
  
"Nothing, nothing. Just a whisp of cloud." Gimli replied while walking over to the two hobbits.  
  
Boromir stopped the match and got up from the ground. He looked into the horizon as well and studied it. "It's moving fast . . . and against the wind . . ."  
  
"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas cried.  
  
"HIDE!" Aragorn shouted while pulling Frodo, who grabbed a few packs on the way, under a bush with him.  
  
"Come on, come on! Take cover!"  
  
Large black birds flew madly throughout the whole area. A few minutes later, they finished flying through, and finally passed out of sight. "Spies of Sauruman!" Gandalf cursed as he got up from his hiding spot. "The passage south is being watched. We must take the Pass of Caradhras."  
  
The next morning, I awoke to the sun shining brightly in my eyes and my arms above my head, hands bond. Wait a tick . . . MY HANDS BOND! In front of me, I saw a band of crude men, all pierced and tattooed. They were in a circle around a fire, cooking some awful smelling food for their breakfast. I looked up at my hands. They were tied together and around a low tree branch; my feet could touch the ground. At my feet were our packs, it didn't really look like they had been rummaged through. Then again, we did steal some sort of nifty locks from Elrond's quarters. Hope he doesn't miss those either.  
  
"Ah!" I said as softly as I could through clenched teeth when I felt a large blow in my left side.  
  
"I can't believe you!" Lauren whispered sternly. She looked over at the group of men quickly, worried that they heard her, and when she realized that they still didn't notice that we were up, continued. "You were suppose to have first watch!"  
  
"Yeah, and I did."  
  
"Except you fell asleep! Now we're caught by some band of evil tribal Indians!" She looked like she was about to cry, not out of fear, but out of anger.  
  
"Alright! Just chill out!" I hissed.  
  
"Chill out! Chill out? Are you fucking mad? We don't know were we are, we're tied to a tree, we're gonna probably get raped by these fucking weirdos; and every second we waste, the closer the Fellowship get to those damn Mines! And you're telling me to chill out?!" she whispered rashly.  
  
"Would you just stop whining? You're not making our situation any better."  
  
"Oh, and you can?"  
  
I glanced over at the group of men. Good, still occupied. "I have an idea."  
  
_**A/N:**  
  
Yaya! I am so proud of myself! I finished this chapter in like an hour! Must have been all those wonderful reviews from all of you nice readers. Who ever said reviews don't give authors inspiration? Now go on and please review!  
_  
**Rocky**


	25. Chapter 25

_**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1. _

**Reviewers!**

Skitty: Woot! You're back! I thought I'd lost you! And ain't RotK awesome! squees Ooh, and May It Be is already in my story . . . chapter #1 to be exact. I'll probably end up putting some more of them in though. 

PippinPirate:It's still around! lol. 

Moralinde: lol. Nah, did somethin' a little different. Not gonna tell ya here though, go and read on! 

Hobbit Babe:Here it is! It's still coming too:) 

Elven-Elements: Actually, many people do say that I am evil. And psychopathic . . . oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY! hands over Gollum plushie Lucky ducky you, got to go surfing! 

LavaAngel: Thankyas! Everyone gets writer's block once in a while unfortunately, but I have my own special ways of getting over it . . . grins evilly grabs blook of wood and starts stabbing it with a knife repeatedly Die you stupid block! DIE DIE DIE! Muahahahahahahaha! Feel my wrath. . . 

OOO 

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 25_

I glanced over at the group of men. Good, still occupied. "I have an idea." I backed up as far as I could go and grasped the rope as best I could with my hands bond by it. With a deep breath, I ran forward with all my might, and with help from the momentum of the rope, I somehow managed to flip onto my feet on top of the branch. 

"What are you doing!" Lauren hissed. "Some plan." 

"Oh, just shut up! I don't know about you, but I wanna get outta here, and frankly, I really don't care how," I said then started to bite at the rope around my wrists. After a few minutes, I was able to undo the knots with my teeth. I hopped back down the ground and went to our packs. Our swords weren't there with them. "Where are our swords?" I whispered to Lauren. She nodded toward the group of men. Great. 

I went over to Lauren and tried to undo her bonds, but I couldn't, they were tied a lot tighter than mine were. "Oh no!" she breathed, her eyes wide. 

"What?" I asked but gulped soon after, I already knew. 

OOO 

TheFellowship marched up the mountain as best they could. It was snow- coveredand was getting more difficult to climb. Frodo trudged his way up, his feet getting colder with eachuneasy and slippary step that he took. He missed Kat and Lauren, he also knew that his fellow hobbits did as well, but even more so for him than his friends. 

Where are they? he thought to himself. 

If he knew them as well as he thought that he did, he knew that they won'twant to havebeen left behind and would've followed them. He could picture them running up from behind, arms flailing in all directions, shouting up to them.And when they finally got close enough Kat would've tackled him to the ground tickling him like mad saying, "Now, Mr. Baggins, what kind of normal hobbit lad are you? First leaving me behind back there with all those cracked out, tall immortal dudes, then letting a girl tickle you to death? Then again, you are on your way to destroy some blasted evil tacky ring. So much for being normal." 

He smiled at the thought and turned around half-expecting to see them running up behind them, but he only saw Strider a short distance back. He sighed and faced forward again, only to lose his footing and he started to roll back down. 

OOO 

"Hey there, Missy!" I turned around to find the small group of men running toward us. "What do ya think ya're doin'?" 

"Go on top of the branch!" Lauren whispered frantically. "I'll be fine." With a worried glance behind my shoulder back at the men and a reassuring face from Lauren, I pulled over back onto the branch then climbed up onto the branch above it; out of the men's reach. 

"Looks like they're finally awake!" one of them said excitedly. 

"Naw, really?" I said inder my breath as I rolled my eyes. Sounds like we're dealing with a bunch of smart ones. 

"Yeah, now we can have our way with them!"someone shouted. "I'll get a go with them first, I found them!" said another. 

"No way, Brendo! I'm going first!" 

"You're wrong; I am!" 

"No, me!" 

"You're all wrong!"the one named Brendo shouted. 

"I found them, therefore I am going first!" 

Next thing we knew, an all out brawl erupted, and they were all punching, kicking, and wrestling each other over us. Lauren looked up at me and gave me an awkward look clearly saying, "What the fuck?" I could only shake my head and shrug. Nearly as bad as orcs, these guys are. Probably even worse because they seem a hell of a lot more stupid. I turned my attention back to the fight, which to my surprise, started to turn bloody, caused by them moving on to using knives. Soon enough, only one man stood alone, the rest lay dead in pools of their own blood. 

"Finally, I get my prize!" The man cried with an evil smile upon his lips. He walked over to Lauren and put a dirty, bloody hand on her cheek, in his other hand there was still a knife. Lauren cringed at his touch, rightfully so. My blood burned and my anger rose. No one was going to touch my sister like that, nor me. 

OOO 

Aragorn picked Frodo up and helped him to his feet. Frodo felt for the chain the ring was on around his neck; it wasn't there, and he started to panic. 

What if I have lost it? He thought to himself. What will happen then? 

Up ahead, Boromir spotted it in the snow and picked it up. He held it in front of his face, studying it, as if mesmerized . . . 

"Boromir," Aragorn said. 

The group stopped and waited, they didn't want to leave any one behind and were also curious about what was going on at the back of the line. Either Boromir didn't hear or didn't pay any heed to Strider, Frodo didn't know. But there was an evil gleam in the usually happy and all-around good man standing in front of him. He wasn't himself, and that scared him. 

"It is such a strange fate," Boromir said as if he were in a dream, "That we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing . . . such a little thing." 

"Boromir!" Strider shouted causing him to come out of his trance. "Give the ring to Frodo." 

He seemed a little startled but walked down and held out the ring to Frodo, who snatched it back from him slightly freighted. "As you wish. I care not." He ruffled Frodo's hair slightly and turned back around making his way up the mountain once again. 

Aragorn patted Frodo on the shoulder and started to climb again as well. But for a few brief moments, Frodo couldn't help but stare at the golden ring sitting on the palm of hand and think, what have I gotten myself into? 

OOO 

Lauren cringed as the man touched her, then anger flooded her eyes. She quickly kneed him where it hurts worst, causing him to drop the knife and sink to his knees in pain. I jumped from my place on top of the branch and onto him, him yelping in anger and even more pain as I did so. But he didn't get very far, I hit him on a special spot on his neck, and he immediately dropped face first to the ground; unconscious. 

I picked up the knife that lay next to the man and ran to Lauren and cut her from her bonds. She rubbed her wrists trying to soothe them; they were all red and blistered from hanging from them all morning. "Damn!" she cursed. 

"Ah, now you know how I felt for so long, sis," I said as I held up my blistered hands and wrists for her to see. Even though I haven't done real bars for so long, my calluses immediately came back when I started to wield a sword, and I will probably have the scars on my wrists from mega bad rips that got infected from my wrist bands till the end of my days. 

"Come on," she said while picking up the guy's feet. "Grab his arms; we gotta do something with 'em." 

OOO 

The snow deepened; so now Boromir was carrying Pippin and Merry, Aragorn was carrying Sam and Frodo, Gandalf was in the front of the line trying to make a path in the now waist deep snow to the taller people of the group. Legolas was walking on top of the snow ahead of the group, making sure there was no danger up along the trail, and Gimli was sitting on top of Bill with the extra luggage, after many protests of course. 

"Cuiva nwalca Carnirasse; nai yarvaxea rasselya!" (Wake up cruel Redhorn! May your horn be bloodstained!) Legolas heard with his Elven ears over the sound of the storm around them. 

"There is a fell voice on the air," he informed. 

"It's Saruman!" Gandalf shouted trying to get his voice head over the storm. They then heard cracking above their heads and barely had enough time to shove themselves against the side of the mountain to shield themselves against the avalanche. 

"He's trying to take down the mountain!" Aragorn cried, "Gandalf, we must turn back!" 

"No!" He stepped forward and began to chant, "Losto Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho i 'ruith!" (Sleep Caradhras, be still, lie still, hold your wrath!) 

"Cuiva nwalca Carnirasse; Nai yarvaxea rasselya; taltuva notto-carinnar!" (Wake up cruel Redhorn! May your bloodstained horn fall upon enemy heads!)was all they heard in reply before they found themselves buried beneath a huge mass of snow. 

OOO 

After we tied up the Indian dude, found our swords, we actually figured out where we were. We had ended up being in the wrong direction a ways, the Indian dudes had brought us to a small grove of trees south of Rivendell. We both decided it best that we cover as much ground as possible at a time, we both wanted to get as far away from that place as we could. 

A few weeks later, we found ourselves looking upon the great walls of Moria. We set up camp right next to the doors, welcoming the light and comfort it shone upon us. 

"Now all we have to is wait," Lauren said as she looked at the mountains. "And hope that everything goes as planned." 

I sighed and placed a hand of comfort on her shoulder. "Us being here won't mess things up that bad, they will only if we let them." She made a doubtful face but grabbedmy hand on her shoulder and squeesed it anyway. "Hope." 

OOO 

"We must get off the mountain!" Boromir cried. "Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city!" 

"That will take us too close to Isengard!" protested Strider. 

"If we cannot go over the mountain, then let us go under it. Let us go through the Mines of Moria," Gimli suggested. 

Gandalf got a vision of Saruman in his head. "Moria. You fear to go into those mines. The dwarves delved too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dum... Shadow and Flame!" He shook his head to get rid of the thought. 

"Let the Ringbearer decide," Gandalf said. 

Frodo paused and became frieghtned. I am only a mere hobbit! Surely I wouldn't know what is best for us. I am the Ringbearer, sure, but what am I to do? He glanced over at Merry and Pippin who were clinging to Boromir and trying to snuggle into his jacket for warmth. Then he looked next to him at Sam, who looked like he was half frozen while he held up his cloak to block both their faces from the snow the best he could. 

"Frodo?" he questioned. 

"We will go through the Mines." 

"So be it." 

OOO 

Yaya! What is up with me lately? I've been updating like mad! Most unnatural . . . anyways, you guys should know my one and only beg by now, and if you don't, damn where the hell have you been! lol, jk. Please review! 

-Rocky- 


	26. Chapter 26

_**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1.  
  
**Reviewers!!!**  
  
Ash: Maybe. (whistles innocent tune.) Not telling! Just gonna have to read!  
  
PippinPirate: Evanescence is one of my favorite bands. Hum, caffeine! Woot!  
  
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Insanity-is-my-friend: Is this soon enough for ya? Lol. Oh, and btw, I love your penname!  
  
LavaAngel: Wow, I'm flattered! (hugs) I'm waiting for that next chappy! :)  
  
Skitty: I dunno, I have a little something up my sleeve . . . oops! You didn't read that! Lol.  
  
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Kess: lol. Thank you.  
  
**Author's Notes**:  
  
Wow! I think that was the most reviews I've got so far! (checks back) Yup! You guys made me so happy! (dances) Well, I only got this done because I've been sick (still am) and have had nothing to do. Well, between sleeping, reading a little bit, and being dead, I actually managed to get this chappy done. So yeah, hope this came out alright, I'm kinda out of it so yeah. Great, now I'm rambling. I'll just shut up now._  
  
**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 26_

"The walls of Moria!" Gimli breathed in awe. After a long way of slipping and slidding back down the side of the mountain, the Company finally had the walls of Moria in view. They went around to the west side entrance, where they found a wide area with a lake and a few boulders here and there. They made their way along the banks of the lake and Frodo tripped in it.

"Ah!" he cried in alarm as his foot sunk into the icy water. He quickly yanked his foot out and began shaking it to dry it off.

"You know, Mister Baggins," I began as I stepped out from my hiding spot behind a boulder, which was an excellent place for a hobbit to hide I might add, "After walking, hiking, and climbing so much, I woulda thought that you might not be as clumsy as you once were." The group all looked at me in shock.

"Thank God you're here though," Lauren said as she stepped out as well. "This nutcase over here," she pointed at me, "Has been driving me nuts."

The hobbits immediately brightened and started to run towards us. Gandalf kept himself back, but was smiling brightly, while the rest of the fellowship was exchanging confused glances.

"Me, driving you nuts?!"

"What? You did."

Before I had had time to argue with her further, I found myself on the ground with Frodo and Sam on top of me.

"I knew you wouldn't just sit back in Rivendell and let us go on ahead without you!" Frodo said happily while getting off of me and giving me a hand up.

"Yeah, I had a feeling when you two were up on that ledge there when we were leaving . . . " Sam said.

"Well, I guess you guys really do know us well, don't ya? Then again, we have been insepretable for like the past five years." We looked over to where Pippin and Merry had my sister pinned to the ground and they were tickling her unmercily. Gandalf walked over to us and putting a hand on my head while giving me a gentle smile before continuing past us to the door.

"You know," Sam said, "If I didn't know any better, Gandalf knew all along of what you were going to do, and I think he actually approves of it!"

I thought over Sam's words for a moment. Could that really be true? When I first met the guy at Bilbo's and Frodo's Birthday Party last September. The guy never really talked to me back then. But when we were in Rivendell he spoke to me often and gave me those painkillers . . . damn those work good . . . but that was after I stopped the Weathertop incident from happening and after I got attacked from the Wraiths. He couldn't possibly know that Frodo was supposed to get hurt . . . or could he have?

Frodo brought me out of my thoughts with a nudge and brought me over to where Gandalf was.

"Now let's see . Ithildin . . . it mirrors only starlight and moonlight," he said and looked up at the moon, which was begining to peek out from behind the clouds. The doors quickly lit up in a blue silvery light, making everyone gasp. "It reads," he said while tracing the lettering with the end of his staff, "The doors of Durin - Lord of Moria. Speak friend and enter."

"What do you suppose that means?" Merry questioned.

"Oh, it's quite simple. If you are a friend you speak the password and the doors will open," Gandalf replied. "Annon Edhellen edro hi ammen!" (Gate of the Elves open now for me!)

Nothing happened. No movement in the doors whatsoever.

"Well, I'm just gonna sit over here and rest while you guys figure the big puzzle out," I said as I yawned and stretched. Gandalf gave me an irritated scowl and went on trying all different spells or whatnot.

After watching a few good games of stone throwing played by Merry and Pippin which was discontinued by Strider, then watching Strider and Sam say goodbye to Bill the pony and set him off, and telling Frodo our tale of our journey to Moria; Gandalf could still be heard trying to get the doors to open. I also overheard Boromir, Legolas, and Gimli talking about Lauren and I. Apparently they weren't too keen on us tagging along because we were going to slow them down and take up more of their food supply, and they were surprised that Gandalf hadn't yelled at us or sent us on our way.

"Ando Eldarinwa a lasta quettanya, Fenda Casarinwa!" (Gate of Elves listen to my word, Threshold of Dwarves!) Still nothing. He pushed at the doors and tried to ram it with his shoulders before chucking his staff to the ground and sitting himself down on a rock beside Frodo and I. "Oh, it's useless!" It was so hard to hold in my laughter at this point. I guess even wizards can't know everything.

Frodo stood up and walked over to the doors with his head cocked to the side and thinking about the words on the door in his head over and over again.

Gandalf shook his head as he saw my face going red from trying not to laugh. "All right, keep your secrets." I immediately didn't have to laugh anymore. I looked up at him; he was pleased at himself for startling me. "Yes, I know that you know how to get the doors to open. Keep your secrets; you know enough already, more then what I know." I gaped at him with an open mouth for a second then quickly nodded.  
  
"It's a riddle . . . "Frodo started, "Speak friend and enter. _Mellon!_" The doors quickly opened, and a beaming Frodo glanced back at us proud of himself. We all gathered our things and started filing into the mine.

"Soon master Elf you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves! Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone. This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!" Gimli said proudly as we walked inside.

Boromir looked around the room in horror. "This is no mine, it's a tomb!" he said glancing around at dead decaying bodies that littered the floor.

"Oh, no!! No!!" Gimli cried.

Legolas went over to a body and pulled out an arrow to examine it. "Goblins!" he spat as he threw the arrow to the floor and pulled out his bow. In turn, everyone pulled out their weapon and started backing out of Moria in fear.

"We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here. Now get out of here, get out!" Boromir cried.

"Oh crap," I muttered. I knew that the Watcher was waiting outside, and I couldn't stop it this time. Next thing I knew, Frodo got pulled off his feet and he was being dragged outside.

"Frodo!" all the hobbits cried.

"Get off him!" Sam yelled while cutting off a tentacle. The Watcher recoiled his injured tentacle then sprang forth many, knocking Sam and me aside and grabbing Lauren and Frodo and bringing them high in the air. The Watcher brought them above his head and looked like it was about to eat them.

"Ahhh!"

"Let me go you freaking ugly beast!"

Boromir and Aragorn quickly cut the tentacles holding them, and they both fell into their arms.

"Into the Mines!" Gandalf shouted.

"Legolas!" Boromir yelled. "Aim for his eye!"

Legolas quickly shot the beast in the eye, giving them just enough time to get into the mines before it started to climb the sides of the doors, making the entrance cave in.   
  
We found ourselves sitting in complete and utter darkness. You couldn't see your hand in front of your face; actually, there wasn't any difference between your eyes being open or closed.  
  
"We now have but one choice," Gandalf said while making the end of his staff light up, "We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things then orcs in the deep places of the world." He walked over to a set of steps on the other side of the room. "Quietly now. It's a four day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."  
  
_**A/N**: Please review! You guys rock!_  
  
**Rocky**


	27. Chapter 27

_**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1._

_**Reviewers!!!**_

_HelmsDeep2234: Glad the last chapter amused you, lol._

_ilfirin912: Wow! You've been reading my story since I first started it? Well, glad to see you're still here. Anyway, I read you're story; you have a really good start so far, and I'm waiting for an update!_

_LavaAngel: Grr. Writer's block. I'm sorry you still have it. And ooh, you're gonna start a LotR fic? Yaya! Can't wait to see it!_

_Skitty: Yeah, I know how you feel. Well, except it's not 102 up here in Massachusetts, but when I'm working out at gym, it definately feels hotter than that. Then top it off with my coaches being asses, I guess you can call my gym a living hell. Muahahaha . . . (cue cheesey background music)_

_Kess: Thankies!_

_PippinPirate: Lol, good luck with your sister. And, woot, coffee! Just can't get enough of that excellent stuff._

_Moralinde: Lol. Thanks!_

_**Author's Notes**: _

_Hum, wow, I am getting far along here, aren't I? Already in Moria. Well, here's the next chappy, and hope you enjoy it!_

**You're My Light in the Dark**  
  
_Chapter 27_  
  
It had been six hours since our encounter with the Watcher, and it had been six straight hours of walking in the long darkness of the Mines. With only Gandalf's light as a guide, it was extremely difficult to see where you were going, especially since almost all of the Mine's paths and walkways were uneven and most stairs were broken and rocky.  
  
"Ah!" Pippin squeaked as he tripped on a stair and onto Merry, who was in front of him.  
  
"Pippin!" Merry cursed.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
Soon later at the top of a set of stairs, we hit a crossroad and there were three different paths to choose from to go on. Gandalf halted the group and seemed to maul over the route in his head.  
  
"I have no memory of this place," he said.  
  
We decided to set up camp and rest while Gandalf thought over which direction to go. Most of the company laid out their bedrolls to get a bit of sleep, but surprisingly my fellow hobbits weren't that tired, with the exception of Lauren of course. Her and I had to try to fall asleep with listening to them bicker, which was very hard to do without wanting to laugh every two minutes.  
  
"Are we lost?" Pippin questioned.  
  
"No," Merry replied.  
  
"I think we are," he argued.  
  
"Shh! Gandalf's thinking!" Sam scolded.  
  
"Merry?"  
  
"What?" he asked annoyed.  
  
"I'm hungry."  
  
Frodo sat next to Kat's bedroll watching her sleep, giving him a peaceful and warm feeling inside.  
  
And to think, he thought to himself, that before only a few hours ago I was afraid I was never going to see her again. He then heard something behind him, back down the way they had just came, that disturbed and brought him out of his thoughts. He looked back and down the stairs and saw a creature jumping from one stone to another as if in a game. Startled, he ran over to where Gandalf sat.

"There's something down there," Frodo pointed down at the creature.

"It's Gollum," Gandalf replied not looking at him.

"Gollum?" Frodo questioned getting scared and confused.

"He's been following us for three days."

"He escaped the dungeons of Barad-Dur?!" Frodo asked getting even more frieghtned.

Gandalf sighed and finally looked Frodo in the face. "Escaped . . . or set loose?"

Frodo glimsed back down at Gollum and felt a shiver go up his spine as the creature looked up at where the company was camped. "He hates and loves the ring, as he hates and loves himself. He will never be rid of his need for it."

Frodo watched the creature but didn't feel any sympathy. He felt deguisted that someone would actually want the ring. "It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance." He turned to look back at Gandalf who was taken aback by the small hobbit's words.

"Pity? It's pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death, and some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them Frodo?" Gandalf questioned. "Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise can not see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet, for good or ill, before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many," he said bitterly.

Gandalf's remark made Frodo feel ashamed and he quickly sat down on the rock beside the wizard. "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened." "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, in which case you also were meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought." Gandalf smiled gently at the hobbit then turned his gaze toward the crossroads. "Ah! It's this way!" he nodded toward one of the paths.

"He's remembered!" Merry said happily while helping Pippin wake Lauren and Kate.

I groaned as I got up and stretched. Back on our way now, and we're gonna face a lot, though they don't know that.

"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here. When in doubt, Meridoc, always follow your nose," Gandalf said while lighting his staff and going down into a left-hand path, everyone following close behind. Soon enough, we came down into a wide open area. "Let me risk a little more light." His staff grew brighter and illuminated the hall of stone lined with tall pillars and arched ceilings for as far as our eyes could see. "Behold the great relam of the Dwarf city of Dwarrodelf."

I gasped as I saw the old city. Well crafted, very detailed, and beautiful.

"There's an eye opener, and no mistake," Sam said from behind me as he gazed at the huge room. In the front of the group, we all heard Gimli shout, then watched in confusion as he ran toward a passageway with light shining out of it.

"Gimli!" Gandalf shouted, but Gimli paid him no heed and went inside. We all ran after him, finding him kneeling in front of a cript, sobbing. Boromir placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as Gandalf translated the runes on the tomb. "Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria," he sighed, "He is dead then. It's as I feared."

He handed his hat and staff to Pippin, then bent down and took a large book out of the grasp of a dwarven corpse that lay at the base of the tomb. He wiped the dirt off of the cover then gently opened it and began to read.

Legolas looked around the room, his nerves growing. He turned to Aragorn and said, "We must move on, we cannot linger!"

"They have taken the bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums, drums, in the deep," the wizard paused to turn the page cautiously, "We cannot get out . . ."

I glanced over at Pippin, who noticed the corpse sitting on top of the wall.

"A Shadow moves in the dark . . ."

Lauren saw him too and was about to go over to him, but I stomped on her foot telling her not to.

"We cannot get out . . ."

I gulped nervously then felt Frodo's hand slip into mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. I squeezed it back, and for some odd reason holding his hand felt like holding onto hope, the longer I held onto it was the longer I felt that I couldn't let go.  
  
"They are coming."  
  
All of a sudden, we all heard a loud crash. We turned to find Pippin over by the well, and just in time to see the rest of the corpse fall in right after the head. It hit the walls periodically causing more crashes and Pippin to wince every time it did. The corpse finally hit the bottom with a final bang and then silence. Gandalf slammed the book shut, furious.  
  
"Fool of a Took!" the wizard reprimanded while snatching his hat and staff back from the hobbit. "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" He turned around to make his way out of the room but then he heard it; we all did. Faint at first, but growing ever louder, _Boom_ . . . _Boom_ . . . _Boom_ . . .  
  
He turned back around and gave a death glare to Pippin as it started to get even louder. Lauren held her face with her hands and said a prayer softly. "Please, just let everything go as planned . . ."  
  
I took the elastic from off of my wrist and quickly pulled my hair back tightly. From outside the door we heard foul noises.  
  
"What is that?" Frodo questioned. Sam looked down at Sting, which was hanging at Frodo's side.  
  
"Look!" he said as he pointed at it. Frodo unsheathed it slightly to find it glowing blue.  
  
"Orcs!" Legolas exclaimed and made a face.  
  
Boromir ran toward the door, peered out, and then quickly pulled back as he was being shot at. He quickly shut the doors and said in mock sarcasm, "They have a cave troll."  
  
Aragorn pushed us hobbits back. "Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!" He ran over to the door also, and Legolas started throwing him and Boromir spears and axes to blockade the door. The noise outside the door grew louder, and when they blockaded it the best they could, we all drew out our weapons.  
  
Gimli jumped on top of Balin's tomb and began twirling his axe around, getting his mind set. "Argh! Let them come! There is one dwarf yet in Moria that still draws breath!"  
  
Lauren, Frodo, and I were standing in the back of the group which was behind Gandalf. Lauren, seeing fear on my face, held her sword out slightly, and I clanked mine against it, giving her a weak smile. "We can do this," she said confidently and reassuringly.  
  
I sighed and nodded. "Yes, I know, I know we can." She smiled and went to the front of the group toward where Pippin and Merry were.  
  
The door started to give way against the orcs from the outside pounding on it. Strider and Legolas began to shoot arrows at the ones beginning to peak through.  
  
"We're not going to be able to hold them off for much longer," Frodo said.  
  
"It's gonna be okay," I said to him. "Just be careful around the cave troll," was all I could say to him before the doors flew open, revealing a huge group of orcs.

_**A/N**: Muahahaha . . . cliffie. I just had to that, sorry. Couldn't help myself. Lol. (grins evilly) Please review!_

**Rocky**


	28. Chapter 28

_**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1.  
  
**Reviewers!!!**  
  
I wanna thank the following for reviewing last chapter:  
  
**HelmsDeep2234, Moralinde, PippinPirate, Kess, Elmo'sGirl, Insanity-Is-My- Friend, and Hobbit Babe.**  
  
Oh and to **LavaAngel**, I'm not sure exactly how co-authored stories work. How about you put it under your name and I beta it for you and give you ideas?  
  
Thank you guys again for making my day. Sorry I didn't reply to you all individually like I usually do, but it took me long enough as it was to get this chappy done. It's a nice and long one for ya though. About 2, 500 words for you guys to (hopefully) enjoy.  
_  
**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 28_

"It's gonna be okay," I said to him. "Just be careful around the cave troll," was all I could say before the doors flew open, revealing a huge group of orcs.

They massed into the room; their ugly faces twisted into snarls, swinging their weapons about threateningly. One seemed to stand out above the rest, then he spotted me, and with a smile he came charging right at me. But I was ready. He swung his sword at my head but I blocked the blow. He tried a few more times, but I blocked each one. On either side of me there were dead bodies, but since I had a task at hand I dared not look to see who they were. I just hoped they were nothing but orcs.

The one I was fighting towered over me. That was definitely a disadvantage if you asked me. And he was relentless. Just kept slashing and trying to hit me, but I prevented that from happening. How long was I gonna be able to keep this up? I took a quick slash at him, and ended up slicing across his thighs. (Remember I only come up to about his hip.) He roared from the unexpected pain, and I took the opportunity shove my sword through his lower stomach.

The feeling I got then reminded me of when I was younger and use to step on worms and could feel them squish beneath my sneakers. That very same feeling. My stomach turned. And when I pulled my sword back out and saw it stained with the black blood that was seeping out from the orc's stomach, I thought for sure I was gonna hurl. But when he fell backwards, dead, despite how my belly was queasy, I was extremely proud of myself.

One after another, they just kept coming. It seemed like they had a troop of never ending soldiers, and when one died, they just sent another one in to replace 'em. How my imagination can run wild sometimes.

I found Sam, who was sitting on some steps, hitting orcs over the head with his frying pans if any of them got close. He smiled as he saw me fighting my way over to him.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this!" he said as he hit an orc in the face. There was a roar. "What was that?"

Rocks and bits of wall and what was once the doors went flying as another roar was heard and a cave troll was now in the room. "Holy shit," was all I could say. I killed another orc and looked around frantically for Lauren or any other one of my friends, but I couldn't see anything over the chaos going on. All I could see was the troll looking on the ledge on the other side of the room. "Oh no." The troll lifted up a small figure, who was dangling from the monster's hand.

"Aragorn!" I heard Frodo shout.

The troll growled, and dropped him. Someone threw a spear at the troll, Strider I think, and the monster roared in rage.

"Kate!" I whirled back around to find another orc charging at me. He managed to give me a nice cut on my cheek before he found himself dead by my sword as well. I gave Sam a weak, but grateful, smile. The best my cut cheek would allow. But Sam's eyes were wide in horror, as he cried, "Frodo! Frodo!"

I didn't even need to look, I already knew what had happened. Merry and Pippin jumped onto the monster's back in fury, and started hacking at it with their short knives. The troll ended up throwing Merry to the ground, and Pippin climbed onto his head. He tilted his head back, and Legolas took the opportunity and shot the beast in the throat. He staggered and with a moan, collapsed dead to the floor, causing Pippin to be thrown off and getting knocked out briefly.

There was silence in the room for many moments. I looked around and saw bodies of all those damn orcs we had all just fought; the huge troll, and lastly I could see Frodo's little body lying face down next to a broken pillar. Lauren was over with Merry, helping Pippin up from his nasty fall. She glanced over at me and nodded. We both made our way over to Frodo together. Aragorn crawled over as well.

"Oh no," he breathed. He shook his head and said a silent prayer. The rest of the Fellowship came over as well and formed a circle around us. Lauren smiled slightly and with my help rolled him over. Frodo started coughing and breathing heavily, causing the Fellowship to jump in surprise.

"He's alive!" Sam cried.

We helped him sit up and he grabbed his chest where the troll had hit him with the spear. "Yes, I'm alright. I'm not hurt."

"But, you should be dead! That spear would have skewered a wild boar," Aragorn said in surprise.

"I think that there is much more to this hobbit than what meets the eye," said Gandalf with almost a twinkle in his eyes. Frodo pulled down his shirt to reveal the shiny mithril shirt he had on underneath. Everyone gasped at the sight; even Lauren and I, even though we already knew he had it on, but we could never have imagined the beauty of it.

"Mithril!" Gimli said in awe, "You are full of surprises, Mister Baggins!"   
  
_**Boom** . . . **Boom** . . ._

We stopped and looked over to where the doors once were and heard the shouts of more orcs and more drums beating. We all looked over at Gandalf, who looked very determined at the moment. "To the Bridge of Khazad-Dûm!" He declared and ushered us out of the back door of the chamber, a large group of orcs on our tails.

We entered another chamber, and found ourselves being surrounded by orcs from all angles; they were even coming out of the ceiling and crawling down the pillars to try and reach us. We huddled closer together as we tried to back up from them, but only to find ourselves trapped. It was like this for a while, them coming closer slowly, with the long shinning pieces of metal in their hands. I felt a nudge in the ribs and turned to see Lauren's face of worry; and it was almost like I could hear the words she was screaming in her mind. Where the fuck is that fire-y shadow dude?

All I could do was shake my head hurriedly as I saw an ugly orc's blade in front of me. Frantic thoughts flew through my head of attempting escape. No, even if I could kill the one in front of me that would probably only make matters even worse, just gonna have to wait . . . Then it happened. The orcs began to have a look of sheer terror on their faces, and started looking around in freight before they fled in their panic.

Merry and Pippin had grins on their faces, happy for the change of 'plans' so to speak. Lauren hit Merry along side the head, hard. "Do you have any idea why they ran?" she asked irritated. He only shrugged, and then received another hit, causing him to hold his head, which had still been hurting from the previous one. "There's something coming that's even worse than orcs and goblins, jackass!"

There was a light coming out from a hall. We could feel the heat radiating from it. "What is this new devilry?" Boromir questioned Gandalf, who could only hold his head down to steady and keep himself somewhat calm. He lifted his head slowly as he answered in short quick replies, almost as if he knew what was going on in Boromir's mind (and probably for the rest of us as well) after each one.

"A balrog. A demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you," he took a quick glance at the firey hall and shouted, "RUN!"

None of us needed telling twice. We sprinted like bats out of hell into a passage, which to our surprise ended abruptly. Boromir, who was the first in the line, would have fallen into the great chasm if not for Legolas who pulled him back. We backtracked and took another set of stairs down.

"Do these stairs look familiar to you?" Lauren questioned me. I glanced around. Yes, they did. But when would I have seen anything like this? Oh, shit.

"Hurry!" I yelled, but through my panic it came out more on the lines of a shriek. No one acknowledged that I even spoke, but thankfully they listened to my words. However, we still weren't fast enough. A huge piece of rock came falling down from the ceiling and made a large gap in the stairs, separating Aragorn and Frodo from the rest of us. Well, at least it wasn't that big of a gap and they weren't teetering - yet.

Strider threw Frodo across into Boromir's arms before he jumped over himself only to be caught by Legolas. We continued on down the steps, and when we got down to the end, Gandalf took Strider aside.

"Lead them on, Aragorn. The bridge is near," he gestured toward the thin strip of rock that went across a seemingly endless abyss. Strider was about to protest, but Gandalf pushed him on. "Do as I say! Swords are no more use here!" He bellowed. "Over the bridge! Fly!"

Frodo grabbed my hand and pulled me onward. Lauren was about to follow, but stopped and quickly yelled, "Gandalf! Behold the power of bleach, Gandalf!"

Once we were all on the other side, Gandalf started to make his way across, but stopped halfway, to face a great firey shadow that had followed us down from the hall. Behind him, where there was once the stairs that we had just descended were nothing more than darkness and dust.

"What is he doing?!"

I didn't even know who yelled. My mind was numb. Even though I was expecting this; the worry for Gandalf, the fear the balrog put in my heart was too great. Everything seemed to go in slow motion, like the movies I use to watch when I was younger.

"You cannot pass!" Gandalf shouted. The balrog meerly smiled this twisted smile of amusement and continued making his way forward. I heard someone shout Gandalf's name, I could have sworn it was Frodo but I wasn't sure.

"I am the servant of the secret fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avil you! Flame of Udun!" Gandalf declared, and while raising his staff above his head, cast circle of light around him. The balrog attacked with a flaming sword, but Gandalf blocked it with his, Glamdring, and the flaming sword shattered.

"Go back to the shadow!" The balrog snarled, and started lashing a flaming whip about menacingly. "YOU . . . SHALL NOT . . . PASS!" The wizard struck the bridge with his staff and sword, and as he did so, caused another flash of light.

The balrog stepped onto the bridge, and the whole front half, right up till where Gandalf was standing, cracked and broke beneath him. The beast roared as he fell, and the wizard, thinking his work was done, turned and began making his way across the rest of the bridge. But the balrog, cracking his whip one last time, managed to catch onto Gandalf's foot, causing him to find himself hanging onto the side of the bridge.

Frodo was hysterical. He started yelling and tried to run to Gandalf, but I held him back. He fought, but eventually stopped resisting and stayed in my embrace. "Gandalf!"

The wizard fought to maintain his grip, but was failing. He looked at us with soft eyes, an understanding glance. I felt a tear roll down my cheek, and then Lauren shouted again, this time her voice cracking as it started to fail her as she tried to hold back her sobs. "Behold the power of the bleach!" With that reminder, I was able to calm myself down a little bit.

"Fly you fools!" and with that, he lost his grip, falling into the abyss. "NO!!" Frodo screamed, and it seemed to echo off of the mine's rock walls. Back on the other side of the bridge, we were able to see the group of orcs once again. They shot arrows at us, and Legolas flew some back with his deadly accuracy.

"Come on, let's go!" Boromir yelled, and while picking up Merry and Pippin, rushed up the set of stairs leading out. With one last glance at the bridge, I pulled Frodo toward the exit. Aragorn, in his disbelief, could only stare at the end of the bridge where his friend was only a moment before. Only when an arrow whizzed by his head did he run out behind Frodo and I.

When we finally got outside, we were blinded by the light of the sun after being in that god-forsaken-mine for I don't know how long. Everyone was distraught. Sam was sitting by himself, his head in his hands, weeping. The Troublesome Three were huddled together; Pippin lay across Merry's lap crying, while Lauren had her arms wrapped around Merry and had her head resting on his shoulder, his head on top of hers, Lauren's face was a complete blank except for the fact she was whispering soothing words for all three.

Boromir was having a hard time trying to restrain Gimli as the dwarf vented out his anger and sorrow, while Legolas ignored them, his own thoughts plagued with shock and disbelief. Then there was Frodo and I; he broke free from my arms after we got outside, and he just started walking away from our group with his head down. I followed him, and I longed to tell him what I knew, but I knew that I couldn't.

"Kate! Frodo!" Strider called from behind us. Frodo turned around, his eyes and nose were red from crying, and his dirt-smeared face was slightly cleaner on his cheeks from the tears.  
  
"Come on, Frodo," I said holding out my hand. "We have to go. Orcs are coming. We have to get to Lothlorien." He only nodded as we started to make our way back to the remainder of the Fellowship. Little did they know that this was only the beginning of the end of it and that we would all soon be taking our own paths . . .  
  
_**A/n**: Woot! Off to Lorien they go, lol. I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can, but my summer schedule is mega stupid and busy, so I can't promise anything soon for sure. Please review, people! Thankies!  
_  
**Rocky**


	29. Chapter 29

_**Disclaimers**: Seriously, do I still have to say go back and see chapter 1? This is only my 29th time doing this, people. _

**Reviewers!**

Moralinde: Lol. I don't know how I even came up with that. It just kinda clicked in my head and I was like WOAH! Yeah, don't mind my ramblings . . . hehehe. 

PippinPirate: Nah. Didn't make her that much different. Perhaps I'll try to make her a little more mysterious, if that's even possible. Now, if this was a humor fic, hum, I could definately have some fun. Can anyone say cracked out evil hippie? Muahahaha. 

Kess: Haha, will update asap. 

Elwen of the Valar: Thankyas, hun. Glad you're enjoying it. :-) 

Lavaangel: whistles You're just gonna have to wait and see. Just please don't die of suspence on me. watches angel keel over Damn. XD Oh, and I finished writing the rest of the first chappy. All I have to do now is type it up. I will get that done sometime soon, I promise. 

Hobbit Babe: giggles I was planning on it, but I'm not that good at writing that - though I will try my best at doing so. :-) And thank you for the book reccomendation. Look into that, I will. 

**Author's Notes**: 

This chappy had songs (or on this case laments), but I had to cut them out due to ff dot net's new rules. So if it's choppy, that's why. I'll fix it up as soon as I get the chance. Please understand. :) 

OOO 

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 29_

Our journey to Lothlorien has been very boring, and not to mention tiring; don't even get me started on that. No one spoke; everyone's mind was plagued with grief, minus my sister and I of course. We both knew what was to come and knew what had happened only a few hours ago (although it seemed more like several years) needed to have occurred - for everyone's sake. 

It was now dusk (and mind you we got out of the mines around midday) when we finally came to the edge of some woods. Strider was up front, along with Legolas and Boromir, as they motioned us into it. 

"Stay close young hobbits!" Gimli said in a low whisper. The six of us surrounded him, four curious, and two with grins. "They say there's a great sorceress who lives in these woods, an elf-witch of terrible power. And that all who look upon her, fall under her spell . . . and are never seen again." 

Frodo stopped walking, staring off into space, biting his lower lip. Sam noticed this as well as I and called to him in concern. "Mister Frodo?" He only shook his head lightly and ran to catch back up to us. 

"Well, here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and ears of a fox!" Lauren snorted at Gimli's statement, then quickly jumped back practically on top of Pippin in alarm as she saw in arrow notched and ready two inches from her face. 

"Yeah, okay, King of the Almighty Dwarf Senses," she retorted, then the elf brought the arrow closer to her face. "Hey! Watch it with that thing, Blondie. Pointy objects have the ability to poke people's eyes out, and personally, I'd rather keep mine." 

The rest of the Fellowship could only stare at her in disbelief, they all were probably scared shitless; and there Lauren was, being sarcastic with a March Warden, who at the time had an arrow pointed in her face. That's my baby sister for ya. Typical Lauren. 

"The dwarf breathes so loud, we could have shot him in the dark," the leader said, emerging through his troops. At this, Gimli mumbled something in dwarven, and if I could have guessed it probably something not very nice. 

Aragorn ignored the dwarf and said something to the leader, Haldir, in elvish. Gimli was glancing around at the elves nervously. 

"Aragorn! These woods are perilous! We must go back." 

"You have entered the realm of the Lady of the Wood. You cannot go back," Haldir said in Common. "Come, she is waiting." 

"Kate . . . " I heard a woman's voice inside my head. It sounded familiar, I could have sworn that I have heard it some where before. "You know the outcome of many things that have not yet come to pass. Your knowledge may effect what was meant to be. I can sense your great fear for this, foreign one . . ." 

We arrived at Caras Galadhon and climbed a set of stairs that led us up to Galadriel's and Celeborn's grand courtroom. We all stood before the two elves, entranced by thier beauty. They both had an aura of light about them, seeming to just glow of wisdom. 

"Ten there are here, yet eleven there were set out from Rivendell. Tell me where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him," Celeborn said, studying each of us intently. Beside him, his wife, Galadriel, set her sight on Aragorn and could read the answer in his eyes. 

"He has fallen into shadow . . ." she said, her voice musical and mysterious. "The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail to the ruin of all." 

She turned to Boromir with a piercing gaze which he couldn't stand. The warrior started shaking then quickly cast his eyes downward. 

"Yet hope remains while the company is true." She was looking directly at us hobbits while she said that, and for some reason it made my stomach do a flip when she did, yet it also gave me strength and reassurance that we would get through what was to come. 

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight you wil sleep in peace . . ." 

We were now back on the ground in the little secluded area Galadriel had set up for our group. Legolas gazed up into the tall trees, listening to the magical and sorrowful words of the elves of Lothlorien. He sighed. "A lament for Gandalf," the elf informed the dwarf and three hobbits sitting with him. Merry looked about the trees as well. 

"What are they saying about him?" he questioned. 

"I have not the heart to tell you. For me the grief is still too near," Legolas replied. 

Lauren stared straight ahead, unmoving, her face rather pale. She still felt guilty about what had happened to Gandalf, even if she did know that he needed to have fallen. 

"Is the lass alright?" Gimli asked in concern. 

She gave a slight nod to answer his question, then leaned toward Merry and whispered into his ear, "Olorin, who once was sent by the Lords of the West to guard the lands of the East . . . wisest of all Maiar, what drove you to leave that which you loved?" 

He sat in shock for a moment, he wasn't entirely prepared for Lauren, of all people, to translate elvish. She took the opportunity and gave him a quick kiss on his forehead before leaning her head to rest on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, still puzzling over how she could have known that. Unless she had made it up herself, but he doubted that. 

I felt a tear roll down my cheek as Frodo finished his own lament for our "deceased" wizard friend, inspired by the one being sung by the elves of Lorien at the moment. Their voices filled the air with the sorrowful but beautiful words. He reached up and brushed it off my cheek. 

"Can I add something on to that Mister Frodo?" Sam asked somewhat shyly. After a nod in return, Sam added on a verse of how great his fireworks were. 

A small sad smile crept up onto Frodo's lips in remembrance. "Indeed, I will never forget Gandalf's famous fireworks." He absentmindedly rubbed the bruise on his chest, the one he received from the troll's spear, which still pained him. Though, the pain in his heart was far worse. 

I grabbed my pack and rummaged through it until I found what I was looking for, the mighty gift that Gandalf had given me in Rivendell - pain relievers. Which he explained to me a few days ago that the supply will never run out, that it will keep restocking itself. I handed Frodo a pill and threw the bottle back into my pack. 

He gave me a questioning look. "What is this?" 

"Just swallow it, but don't chew it. It'll make that awful bruise feel better," I explained. He shrugged and popped the little white capsule in his mouth. 

Sam leaned back against a tree trunk and put his hands behind his head. "Do you think Gandalf's in a better place now?" he asked. 

I felt the answer lump up into my throat. I wanted to tell them, but should I really? I was also debating with myself whether or not I should tell them about what I knew. It was a secret that Lauren and I were finding harder and harder to keep. But what if one of us did tell? Would the future still hold it's course like it luckily has been with me and my sister's presence? Or would it veer off course to our destruction? 

I cleared my throat. "I hope so." And besides, I reminded myself, even if Lauren and I did tell that we knew what was to come, our friends might possibly never forgive us for what happened to Gandalf. 

Frodo slipped his arm around me and held me tight. I could feel his heartbeat, and I found myself wondering how long it would stay pure against the evil which he carries – that is unless if it hasn't already been tainted somewhat. 

OOO 

a/n: Ta da! Reviews would make the oh-so-crazy authoress ever so happy. If you don't she'll get really mad . . . and you wouldn't want a psychopathic LotR freak chasing after you screaming 'Precious', now would you? Lol, jk. But reviews would be great. Peace, peeps! 

-Rocky- 


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimers: See chapter 1.

Reviewers!

LavaAngel: Hum. (looks at the little golden ring handed over) It is mine. Thank you for returning my precious back to me. (stares at ring for about four hours and starts drooling) Precious . . . lol.

Ash: Over seas? That must have been fun. And I can send you your story from my site over email if you want.

Kess: Thanks!

Elwen of the Valar: Thankyas!

Moralinde: Haha, March Wardens are so fun to smart off to. They get pissed off way too easily, which makes it all the more fun. Then they pull out their pointy objects and then it gets very interesting!

Janna Hawkins: Thanks! I always update as much as possible, which always varies.

Author's Notes:

Hey! Check it out, I am updating again. The second time in what (checks) two days? Uh huh. I am very proud of myself, especially since this is a long chapter too. Well, that's what I get for working at my mom's ice rink all day on my gym vacation, sitting there for about an hour at a time until the next session to see who gets on it. Yup, even when I actually have time off to have a life, I still don't have one. I think I'm just gonna give up and go buy one.

This chappy had songs, but I had to cut them out due to ff dot net's new rules. So if it's choppy, that's why. I'll fix it up as soon as I get the chance. Please understand. :)

Also, I really am excited about this chapter. It pieces the story all together if you get my meaning. But just a little note that I don't think I mentioned before: Lauren and Kate had first arrived in Middle Earth in the year 2004 of our time. Oh, and Jill was a good friend and gymnastics teammate with Kate, just in case you forgot since she was barely mentioned in the beginning of the fic.

You're My Light in the Dark

Chapter 30

Everyone lay asleep, on comfortable beds beneath the stars. Crickets chirped, and the fair woods of Lorien seemed to glitter under the bright light of the moon. Everyone was asleep except Frodo and I. We lay entwined in each other's arms.

"I love you, Frodo," I said, my head resting on his chest.

He kissed the top of my head and murmured, "And I you."

This seemed like just a dream to me. Off in the distance, not really happening. This isn't even suppose to be happening, I reminded myself.I was never meant to be here. He wasn't even suppose to know thatI existed. Yet here I am . . .

I sat up and got off the bed, getting a questioning glance from Frodo. Imotionedto him, and he got up as well. He grabbed my hand and took off running, leading me through the mystical woods.I laughed, and it seemed to echo off the trees and bouncing back to my ears.

We ended up finding ourselves at the side of a beautiful lake. The moon and the stars reflected off of the cool crystal surface of the water. He kissed me, his lips like a fire, slow and gentle at first then gradually the flames grew larger, engulfing us both into the night . . . (a/n: haha, fill in the blanks, people. :P )

Our group had been guests in Lorien for almost a month now. We had all healed our wounds and had gathered back our strength. As our strength grew, so did our friendships. The Fellowship, which in the beginning didn't really have anything to do with friendship at all, it was more of like an alliance pact if you ask me. Come on, let's face it. Gimli and Legolas hated each other when we left Rivendell. And come to think of it, no one really liked my sister and I besides our fellow hobbits and Gandalf, which might only be because he loved hobbits in general. But now, it was much different. We have come a long way. But even such good friendships can be destroyed by evil.

I'm afraid of what's to come. I'm afraidof the downward spiral of darkness and evilonce we leave this 'safe haven' - and that I won't be able to do anything about it, or perhaps even make it worse than what it would have been had I not been here.

My companions were once again sleeping, and yet again I lay awake. Except this time Frodo was dreaming with them as well. Lauren tried to stay up with me, but sleep took her, so here I am alone. Tonight was important.

Galadriel walked silently by where I lay. She smiled at me before going on her way. From beside me, Frodo woke with a start and sat upright. I closed my eyes pretending to sleep, waiting for him to follow her.

He followedGaladriel to her garden. Her back was to him as she dipped an ewer into a pool, filling it with water. Beside her on a stone pedestal was what looked like a silver dish. She turned to face him, almost as if she was expecting for him to be there with her.

"Will you look into the mirror?" she questioned, motioning to the dish.

"What will I see?" Frodo asked.

"Even the wisest cannot tell." She held up the ewer and began pouring the water out into the dish. "Things that were, things that are . . . " she emptied the ewer, "And some things that have not yet come to pass."

Frodo stepped up to the mirror, only to see his reflection. He glanced at Galadriel, who nodded, then lowered his gaze back down to the water. The water rippled and he saw a vision of his friends. Pippin, Lauren, Merry, and Kat were huddled together in darkness. Their faces were smeared with a mixture of dirt and blood. Kat looked up at him, her eyes shinning from tears. He could hear her whispering. "It was all my fault . . ."

The vision changed. He saw Sam captured by orcs, being whipped.

The vision changed again. Bag End was in front of him, just the way he remembered it. The garden was in full bloom, the scarecrow's hay floating away with the wind. Lily and Rosie sat on the doorstep smiling, glad to see him. Then the next moment it was all wrong, so terribly, terribly wrong. His house was engulfed in flames, the sky dark. Hobbiton was destroyed beyond repair. No more. Rosie and Lily were being beaten, abused.

The Eye filled the mirror, speaking horrible words in the Black Speech. The ring slipped out from underneath his shirt and was being pulled into the water. Terrified, he grabbed the ring and launched himself backwards away from the mirror, landing on his back on top of the soft grass. He sat up, the ring clutched tightly in his hand, breathing heavy.

Galadriel looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "I know what it is you saw, for it is also in my mind." It is what will come to pass if you should fail. she said telepathically. The Fellowship is breaking. Things are in motion that cannot be undone. He will try to take the ring. You know of whom I speak.

If you ask it of me I shall give you the One Ring. Frodo replied. Opening his palm, he offered it to her.

"You give it to me freely," the Lady of the Wood said surprised of his resilience to the evil in his hand. "I do not deny that my heart has greatly desired this." She made her way toward him, her hand outstretched, ready to take the little piece of gold from the hobbit's hand. But as she came closer, her appearance changed dramatically, frightfully. She became a light enclosed in shadow, her features like one of a ghoul's. Frodo took a step back in alarm, and she began to shout.

"In place of a DARK LORD, YOU WILL HAVE A QUEEN! NOT DARK BUT BEAUTIFUL AND TERRIBLE AS THE DAWN! TREACHEROUS AS THE SEA! STRONGER THAN THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE EARTH! ALL SHALL LOVE ME AND DESPAIR!" She slowly returned to normal, her face pale; she was afraid of had just occurred. "I have passed the test," she murmured. "I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel . . . "

"I cannot do this alone," Frodo said. Galadriel knelt down in front of him.

"A ball is in motion that cannot be stopped. But that doesn't mean that we cannot change the course of which that ball travels," she said. She glanced over to the edge of the garden, where I was standing, and where I hadwitnessed the whole scene. Frodo turned to follow her gaze and was surprised to see me there. "You will not be alone, Ringbearer." She gave him a kiss on his brow and stood up and faced me.

"Will you look into the mirror?"

"What will I see?" I questioned. And without thinking I added, "You have known that I already know the things that were, the things that are, and what has not yet come to pass." The moment they passed my lips I regretted my words. Frodolooked at me with a questionable expression on his face.

Galadriel smiled.So you already know what you must do.

I nodded in reply, and she motioned to the mirror. I approached it and looked into the water.

Let's go back

I saw myself back on regular Earth, I looked around 16, the age I was when I found myself in Hobbiton. I was in a competition doing skills I had never done in my life. I saw myself win level 10 Nationals.

Then I saw Lauren, she quit figure skating and mom's program (much to our mother's disapproval), and went back to public school. She was popular and still the wise ass she is now. And to my horror, I saw her get into a really bad car accident as a senior in high school. A drunk driver had hit her head on. She had died at the age of 18.

Years passed before my eyes and I was in college, going to MIT. Captain of the women's gymnastics team and a good student. I graduated and began writing. I ended up movingto Florida a few months later, where Jill now resided after she had graduated from down there.

I saw Jill, she looked about 20 years old. She was cleaning up an apartment I didn't recognize. A book fell off of a shelf, and as she picked it up, an old picture fell out of it's pages. It was a photo of her, Lauren, and me at Cannobie Lake Park, the very same photo of mine that Frodo had magically found in Rivendell. She held it up, tears welling in her eyes; she stuffed the picture back into the book and threw it back onto the shelf to be forgotten. Her memories were too painful.

The vision changed and I saw a graveyard. One tombstone stood out above the rest, and I saw that it was my mother's. She had committed suicide.

May Marie Tamsin

1963 - 2009

Then I saw some sort of party. A big hobbit bash taking place around the Party Tree. Everyone was there; Lauren, Merry, Lily, Sam, Pippin, Rosie, and for some reason even Legolas and Gimli were there as well. Poppy was there too, not surrounded by her group of clones which was a surprise, and she was actually being nice to all of my friends - an even bigger surprise was that they were being nice to her also. Frodo and I couldn't be seen.

The scene cleared and a ghost of a little hobbit girl stood before me. Her curly dark brown hair blew about her in the wind. Her eyes were a shade of icy blue; they seemed so familiar that it was starting to unnerve me. A lone tear slid down her cheek.

Cause different

The water in the mirror went blank once more, and I stepped back away from it in shock. I thought I had known what once was, what is, and what was meant to be. I meant by I knew what was going on in the War. I meant I knew Middle Earth's past and destiny. But Galadriel opened my eyes to what the consequences were for me being here, where I'm not suppose to even exist.

Now you know, Kate. Galadriel said inside my head. Now you understand.

"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future," the Lady of the Wood said. She gave a slight smile before exiting the garden, leaving Frodo and I alone.

He turned to me, disbelief and sorrow clearly seen on his face. "You knew that Gandalf was going to fall, didn't you?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "You've known everything since the very beginning. That was how you knew about the council in Rivendell, that we were going to go through the mines . . . " he trailed off, tears flowing freely down his face at this point.

"I also knew that you were going to be stabbed on Weathertop," I said while averting my gaze. The look of sadness on his face only made it harder for me to speak. "By a Morgal blade. The scar would have never fully healed, the poison of the Witch King forever flowing through your veins."

"But how?" Frodo asked. "I don't understand."

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Lauren and I came from some place very far away. A very different place. We lived in a place called New Hampshire, with our mother who wasn't very nice to us. Thereis no magic in New Hampshire, or any placenear it. There are no elves, hobbits, dwarves,or orcs there. Only humans.

"There were fictional books though, stories that authors made up. Theauthors made up worlds of fantasy and magic, things we had only dreamed of. I loved these stories and would often spendhours upon hours of reading these books, getting lost in these mystical stories. One day I came across a trilogy that I hadn't read yet, called 'The Lordof the Rings'." I smiled sadly at the memory. I looked at Frodo who was still listeningintently to my story, my past.

"It was a story about a hobbitnamed Frodo Baggins andthe quest he and his friends had gone on to destroy an evil ring that his uncle Bilbo had found." Frodo stared at me in shock as I said that, but I kept on going.

"It was my favorite. I loved them so much that I practically became obsessed. I studied every tiny bit of the 'made up' world called Middle Earth, where the story took place.

"I was a gymnast, that much you already knew. I was at a really high level, and eventually I hit a point where I was physically and emotionally gone. That night I had sung myself to sleep, using a song associated with my obsession. The next morning I had found myself in Middle Earth and turning into a hobbit. That was the day I met you. It was like my dream world and I never wanted to wake up."

Rain fall down

Frodo didn't know what to think. His head was spinning with grief, fear, confusion, and now he was slightly angry and hurt. Questions buzzed his mind.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" he asked.

"Would you have believed me if I did? Do you even believe me now?" I sighed and ran my fingers through my curly hair. "I can hardly believe it myself and I'm the one that went through it."

"I honestly don't know what to think," he replied. He turned and started walking away from me and into the woods.

I sank to my knees, and burying my face in my hands, I cried the hardest I have in avery long time.

a/n: Yo, what do ya think? Good? Yes, no, maybe so? Review please!

Rocky-


	31. Chapter 31

**_Disclaimers_**: See chapter 1. 

**Reviewers!**

Elwen of the Valar: Muahahaha. :P Thankies! 

Lysia1982: Thanks:-) lol. Be patient and you will see, oh yes, you will see . . . 

Janna Hawkins: Glad I'm leaving ya guys wanting for more. Makes me a very happy authoress. (hugs) 

PippinPirate: LMAO! Hahaha! Thank you for that review, I totally needed that. And you took the words right out of my mouth, 'All hobbits do is eat, sleep, and drink!' Just forgot one thing, hun. Smoke! Mkay, Rocky has to lay off the coffee now . . . muahahaha. 

Hobbit Babe: Me, give the fic a bad ending? Hum. I think not. lol. Willow's another good read as well? Check up on it, I will. Thanks again for the recc. 

Moralinde: Angst in the near furture? Hum, perhaps. It depends on where my imagination takes me. And I know what you mean about characters being in pain and loving and hating it at the same time. I really enjoyed writing last chapter, and lets face it, it wasn't all that happy. 

**Author's Notes**: 

This chappy had songs, but I had to cut them out due to ff dot net's new rules. So if it's choppy, that's why. I'll fix it up as soon as I get the chance. Please understand. :) 

OOO 

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 31_

Frodo made his way back to camp, but couldn't fall asleep even if he'd tried. His mind was a jumbled mess, not wanting to comprehend what he'd seen and heard hours ago. Hours? Was it really only that long? To him it seemed like eternity. He hadn't seen her since he left her by the mirror. She hadn't returned to the camp. 

He pulled a necklace out of his pocket, the one had gotten in the dream, the same one Kat had given him in Rivendell. She wants you to have it . . . 

He rubbed the small silver chain in between his fingers, staring into the blue pendant sadly. He could hear her words, still ringing in his ears taking their sweet time registering in his brain. 

_Lauren and I came from some place very far away. We lived in a place called New Hampshire. There is no magic in New Hampshire, or any place near it. Only humans lived there. _

One day I came across a trilogy that I hadn't read yet, called 'The Lord of the Rings'. It was a story about a hobbit named Frodo Baggins and the quest he and his friends had gone on to destroy an evil ring that his uncle Bilbo had found. 

I studied every tiny bit of the 'made up' world called Middle Earth, where the story took place. 

I had found myself in Middle Earth and turning into a hobbit. That was the day I met you. It was like my dream world and I never wanted to wake up. 

He held the pendant tightly in his hand, squeezing so tightly the jewel started digging into his flesh. He didn't care. He didn't feel the pain. He only squeezed harder, drawing blood. And yet through it all, he heard her words echo in his heart, over and over again. 

_I had found myself in Middle Earth and turning into a hobbit. That was the day I met you. It was like my dream world and I never wanted to wake up. _

I love you . . . 

I sat with my back propped up against the pedestal the mirror sat upon. I had never left the garden. I didn't have the strength to. The images I saw in the mirror were a puzzle, every single piece haunting me to my soul. 

I understood what the mirror was trying to tell me for the most part. It shows many things. Things that were, things that are, and some things that have not yet come to pass. 

Lauren would have died. The thought chilled me. I couldn't imagine my baby sister not being there by my side, and frankly I didn't want to. In reality Jill was torn apart over the fact that we disappeared and my mother had committed suicide. But I didn't understand the hobbit party. Legolas and Gimli attending the party with us? Our gang getting along with Poppy? It didn't make sense. 

Then there was the little hobbit lass ghost. It wasn't really all that freighting it a first glance, but as I studied the image that was burnt into my mind, it started to scare me. It was like she was there but she wasn't at the same time. And the more and more I thought about her, she became all the more familiar to me, even though I could have sworn I've never met any child like her. She was crying, I remembered. Why was she crying? Then I remembered her eyes, and a shocking realization hit me. 

They were my eyes. 

Then there was Frodo. The hurt in his eyes when I told him I knew what was going to happen was too much bear. We are leaving Lothlorien tomorrow by the river. Then the splitting of the Fellowship . . . 

I had to go with him. What would happen if I didn't? The mirror didn't tell me that, then again Galadriel did ask me if I knew what I must do and I said yes . . . 

But even if I want to go with Frodo, have to go with him, that doesn't necessarily mean he'll actually let me tag along. But I have to. 

Who says? A mocking voice said in the back of my head. He hates you. He would never let you go with him. He could never forgive you. 

Frodo wandered back into the woods, back to the garden where the mirror was. He was going to find Kate. He was worried that something happened to her since she didn't return to camp. Even though he was still hurt about what had happened, he still loved her. 

He came to the edge of the garden, and he could hear her singing. She was propped against the pedestal that the mirror was on, her knees brought up to her chest. The sun was just beginning to rise, the sun's first rays hitting her tear stained face long gone dry. Her cheeks were salty where the tears once ran. 

Frodo walked over and stood before her. She looked up at him with sad eyes. He held out his hand and helped Kat to her feet before pulling her into a tight embrace. She rested her head on his shoulder for a few moments before whispering in his ear, "I'm sorry." 

He only held her tighter. "No, I'm the one who should be sorry. You had your reasons, even though you might not be able to tell me." He pulled back and smiled at her knowingly, brushing her tears away. 

"That may be so," I said as I slid out of his arms. "But I still feel guilty." 

"Why is that?" Frodo asked. 

"I know what's going to happen, Frodo. I know who dies, where we're going next, what's going to happen when we get there. I'm reliving the story that I loved and trapped myself into when I was little," I said. 

"But isn't that a good thing?" Frodo questioned. 

"Yes, and no . . . " I sighed. "Yes, I love being here with you guys. It's my dream come true. But I know what's ahead of us. I want to change a few things that happen, but I always have to think of what the alternatives of that change will effect the original story line. And I feel guilty because I know everybody's fate and that some of them I dare not interfere with." 

"You really shouldn't feel guilty about that," he said. "You're only doing what's right for the long run." 

"I know, but I can't help it. Lauren feels the same way." I sighed and looked toward the sun. "Come on, we should get back to camp. Everybody's gonna be worried about us." Frodo nodded and paused for a moment. 

Frodo smiled. "Will you tell me more of your old home sometime? 

"I promised Bilbo I would tell him about what it was like. He wanted to write about it. But he never got around to finish writing of his quest," I smiled thinking of the kind old hobbit. I turned to Frodo. "I'll be happy to tell you more of my old home. Perhaps if we even live through this journey and Bilbo's still around I will gladly tell him of it as well." 

"What do you mean 'if'?" Frodo asked concerned. "I thought you knew what will happen?" 

"Of course I do," I said. "Mister Baggins, you should know better. I just can't go around telling you of your story's end! It would ruin all the fun of going through it!" 

"Fun?" he questioned. "I hardly find throwing a ring into a volcano fun. Not to mention what we're all going to have to go through before we even get to that point." 

I sighed and shook my head. You have no idea. I said to myself, but kept on smiling, not wanting Frodo to worry at the moment. "What's in the future is out of our reach at the moment, Frodo. No need to get yourself all tied up in knots about it. Leave that part all up to me." 

He chuckled slightly as we entered the camp. "You know, Kate, you're way too much at times, you know that? Way too much." 

OOO 

Yaya! I just hobbit-napped Frodo! Muahahaha. Say hi Frodo! 

Frodo: (waves frantically) Help! She's insane! 

Rocky: He's so cute ain't he? (pats him on the head) 

Frodo: (rolls eyes) She's going to make us watch this moving picture thing-a-ma-bobber later on. (shrugs) And whenever she mentions it sh starts running around her house on all fours screaming "Precious!" It's really starting to scare me quite a bit. 

Rocky: My own, my love, my own . . . Precious! Muahahaha! The Precious will be ours! (starts cackeling uncontrolably) 

Frodo: See! I told you she's cracked! And she's not going to let me go until she gets 200 reviews! 

Rocky: (stops and acts serious for about two seconds just to nod before going mental once more) 

Frodo: Oh Elebreth save me . . . please review. 

-Rocky- 


	32. Chapter 32

_**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1. _

**Reviewers!**

Shieldmaiden-of-Rohan-Forever: Thank you! 

I Like MINTS: lol. Glad you're enjoying my fic so far. 

Elwen of the Valar: Hehe, thanks. :-) 

Figgius: Actually, I'm from Salem and live like five minutes away from Canobie, even though I have yet to go there this year. :-) Oh, yeah, and I was planning on adding a bit from the book on the way to Amon Hen because I thought there needed to be a little something more there. Thank you for the suggestion though. I really took it to heart.   
Hobbit Babe: Thankies, hun! (Hugs) 

Sorceress Elf Queen: lol. Thankya. :-) Ooh, you beg? I give cookie! Chocolate chip with macadamian nuts! Enjoy! 

ilfirin912: Thankies! But we still have a long way to go before we even get to Mordor! 

Janna Hawkins: Wow, someone is sure determined to help Frodo out, huh:-) (Frodo can be heard yelling in the background, "Thank you!") 

Autumn Sunlight: Yeah, I'm just so evil aren't I? (evil laughter) 

Moralinde: I sent a coupon in the mail for some plane tickets to Hobbiton. Let's see, I used tuct tape, a needle, and a duck. Go on and fill in the blanks, haha. 

**Author's Notes**:

This chappy had songs, but I had to cut them out due to ff dot net's new rules. So if it's choppy, that's why. I'll fix it up as soon as I get the chance. Please understand. :) 

**Randomness**: 

Rocky: Frodo, hurry up! The gymnastics is finally on! 

Frodo: (runs upstairs into Rocky's room) What are we going to watch again on the box thingy? 

Rocky: First off, it's a tv. And we're gonna watch the Olympics. 

Frodo? 

Rocky: Never mind, just watch. And while we do that, you guys can read chapter 32. Enjoy! Oh, yeah, and Galadriel's song in this chapter is Tolkien's. 

Frodo: Along with me. 

Rocky: Exactly. 

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 32_

Not many of our companions were at the camp when Frodo and I arrived there. Only Strider and Lauren. Strider only grinned at us and started laughing and Lauren raised her eyebrow in questioning amusement. 

"So, where were YOU two all night, hum?" she asked while trying to hold back her own grin but failing. 

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "You seriously have to get your mind out of the gutter," I replied then took a look back at Strider who was still laughing silently, "And so don't the rest of our friends, is my guess." I lowered my voice so Aragorn wouldn't hear. "We have to talk." "If something really did happen, or if nothing happened at all, it's alright, you know. We're only teasing you guys." 

"Oh no, I don't think you understand," I said. "Something happened all right, something mega important." Lauren looked at us puzzled for a moment. "The mirror." 

"Oh!" recognition hit her face then worry when she remembered Frodo was there as well. "But-" 

Frodo put a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. I know." 

She was silent for many moments shocked. "What have you done? What did you tell him?" Lauren asked hesitantly, almost as if she was afraid of the answer. 

"She told me where you two were once from and that you know the future," he said then noticing Lauren's face drain of all color he added, "But she didn't tell me what hasn't happened yet, if that's what you're scared of." 

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Is that all that happened last night, or are there any more surprises I should know about so that I can prepare myself for a heart attack?" 

"Actually, sorry to tell you, but there is more," I said. I pointed to her bed. "And you might wanna sit down for this. And Frodo," I said as I turned to him, "I have to speak with my sister alone." He nodded in understanding and headed in the direction of the Dining Hall. 

I told Lauren of what I had seen in the mirror. Every detail. She was baffled beyond belief about many things. Mostly about how she was suppose to be dead and how Ma had committed suicide. 

"Well, what's happened is done and over with. There's nothing about what was meant to be that we can change now, it's too late," Lauren said deep in thought. "I feel for Jill and even Ma - even if she was a bitch it still is a shock to believe that she's dead, you know? But yet again, we have a job to do here and there's nothing we can do in that department either. Then what about this party?" she asked. 

"I believe that's our future," I explained. "If everything goes the way we want it to, that is." 

She nodded. "We can do this," she said. "Not like we have much choice in the matter, we're gonna have to try to manage not to screw this up." 

"We're leaving Lorien today. Then soon after the Fellowship is no more. Are we still on for what paths we originally planned at the split up?" 

There. I had said it. The Fellowship's split up, our hearts leading us on different journeys. And it's going to be the longest we've spent apart from each other since we had found each other in the Green Dragon five short years ago. Tears filled both our eyes and I found myself being squeezed in one of Lauren's hugs of death. But I didn't care. "I'm gonna miss you, Kat," she whispered. 

"Yeah, I'm gonna miss you too," I replied sadly. 

The Fellowship spread themselves out among the three boats the fair Lady of the Wood had given to them. Sam, Frodo, and Aragorn were up in the first boat leading the way. Boromir, Merry, and Pippin were right behind in the second, while my sister and I shared the last boat with Gimli and Legolas. 

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small silver rock that fit snugly in the palm of my hand, examining it. _Galadriel kneeled before Lauren and me and held two small silver rocks out to us. "To you, Kate and Lauren Tamsin of New Hampshire, I give the jewel of Nestad. May it give you something which has not come so easily for you in the past." She smiled and kissed our foreheads before going along to Sam._

Lauren gave me a smile and glanced over at Gimli who was gazing at a few strands of golden hair which he held protectively. She shook her head in amusement. "I didn't know that a dwarf couldtake a liking to any elf never mind become obsessed with one." 

He gave her a glare. "I'm not obsessed. I merely find the color of her hair beautiful." 

I looked up and snorted. "You said something completely different just a few hours ago in Galadriel's presense." 

Legolas laughed and shook his head, continuing to row our boat down the river. Soon we came across two huge but beautiful statues, one on either side of the river. They were of men, their faces stern, their left arms aloft and palms outward in a gesture of warning. 

"Wow," Lauren breathed in awe. "Now that's impressive." 

I nodded and looked toward the beach, trying to see into the forest. I couldn't see anything but trees, but I knew what was in there and it made me uneasy. I glanced down at the smooth, small silver rock and gripped it tightly. 

A few nights later we were traveling by night because Strider had suggested it was safer. Sam was appointed Watchman and sat at the front of the head boat peering up ahead of them. All was quiet except for the soft splashing of the water when our oars dipped into it. 

Suddenly Sam cried out, and only a few yards ahead of us there were dark shapes. The river's current seemed to get stronger, and with much difficulty and nerves we pulled the boats along the shore. 

In the sky, like a cloud but also not like one, was a dark shadow, and it was rushing straight towards us. 

"Elbereth Gilthoniel!" Legolas sighed as he looked up. A sudden dread and fear fell over us, and a darkening chill pierced our hearts. 

Legolas' bow, his mighty gift from Galadriel, twanged and harsh croaking scream could be heard as the shadow fell out of the air. There was a turmult of many voices far away, cursing and wailing in the darkness, and then silence. 

We decided to stay and wait until dawn, it seemed useless to travel further by night. We made no camp and no fire, not wanting to be seen by unfriendly eyes. We lay in the boats for the night. None of us could sleep, the image of the shadow blocking the light of the moon terrorizing our thoughts. 

"Praised be the bow of Galadriel, and the hand and eye of Legolas!" Gimli said while munching on a wafer of lembas bread. "That was a mighty shot in the dark, my friend!" 

"But who could say what it hit?" Legolas said. 

"I cannot," Gimli replied. "But I am glad that the shadow came no nearer. I liked it not at all. It reminded me to much of the shadow in Moria - the shadow of a Balrog," he finished in a whisper. 

I shook my head. "No, it wasn't a Balrog. It gave us all too much of a chill." 

Boromir gave me a questioning look. "What do you think it was then?" 

"I think it could have been a Wraith," Lauren cut in and I nodded. 

Frodo gave us a worried look. "Perhaps. But what ever it was, our enemy seemed very much displeased that the shadow fell from the sky." 

OOO 

We continued down the river at dawn and for some days as well. We eventually came to the foot of Amon Hen and started to make camp. 

Frodo and I unloaded the packs from the boats and sat down to rest against a tree. In his mind Frodo knew what he had to do. This was his task, and his alone. None of his friends should have to bear the burden with him. 

But what of Kat? he thought. She knows all that is going to happen. Surely she must have known I want to do this? Or is this something that wasn't planned originally? 

He stood up, and I looked up at him, smiling sadly. She knows, he realized. 

"I have to go for a walk," Frodo whispered. 

I nodded. "Go do what you must do," I said. He turned and I grabbed his hand, stopping him for a second. "But remember what the Lady Galadriel had said, Frodo." He gave my hand a squeeze before letting go and making his way into the forest alone. 

"We cross the lake at nightfall. Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor to the north," Aragorn announced. 

"Oh, yes!" Gimli said sarcastically. "It's just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil? An impassable labyrinth of razor sharp rocks! And after that, it gets even better! " for beside the dwarf Pippin looked up alarmed. "Festering, stinking marshlands far as the eye can see!" 

"That is our road. I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength master dwarf," Aragorn said slightly annoyed. 

"Recover my . . . ! Grrrrrr," Gimli growled. 

Legolas gave Aragorn a look and he made his way over to the elf. "We should leave now." 

"No, orcs patrol the eastern shore. We must wait for the cover of darkness," Aragorn replied. 

"It is not the eastern shore that worries me," Legolas said, "A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind . . . I can feel it." Aragorn looked around worriedly and saw Merry and Lauren enter camp with their arms full of fire wood. 

Merry looked around the camp and turned to me. "Kat, where's Frodo?" 

OOO 

_**a/n**: That's it for chapter 32! Hope you liked it! Review please!_ **-Rocky-**


	33. Chapter 33

_**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1.  
  
**Reviewers!!!**  
  
Elwen of the Valar: Yes, in the book, the Nazgul attack happened before they passed the Argonath. I just didn't notice my mistake until after I posted the last chapter. Damn, you're good though! (hands over cookie)  
  
Janna Hawkins: lol. Frodo enjoyed watching the gymnastics a lot. He couldn't believe that was what I had been doing when I left him alone in my room for six hours straight, lol. Now he wants to come with me to gym tonight to watch me practice. Hopefully my teammates won't try anything funny. Cuz if they do, I'm gonna bite them! Lmao! XD  
  
Hobbit Babe: They have already kissed and have gottn a lot farther than that if you catch my drift . . . (wink) lol. They just couldn't have a "proper" goodbye beacuse Frodo had to slip away without the rest of the Fellowship that was in the camp noticing. And another recomendation! Woot! (hugs)  
  
PippinPirate: You'll find out in this chapter! And this fic is just gonna keep on getting more and more interesting as we go along, so hold on tight, lol!  
  
**Randomness**:  
  
Rocky: (in the kitchen looking for something to eat and can hear Frodo singing with the music blasting from all the way upstairs in her room) I think I'm having a bad influence on the poor hobbit. First I get him addicted to chocolate and he ate everything chocolate in my house till it was nothing left - including hot cocoa. Then I made him watch the Olympic gymnastics competition and now he wants to go down to gym with me tonight to watch my practice.  
  
Frodo: (singing up in Rocky's room) Everything you say to me, takes me one step closer to the edge, and I'm about to break!  
  
Rocky: Then I let him listen to Linkin Park and now he's obsessed. I'm beginning to worry. He's actually starting to like me, which is starting to scare me, though I like it mind you, he absolutely hated me and was afraid of me when I first brought him home with me.  
  
Frodo: Shut up! Shut up! Shut up when I'm talking to you!  
  
Rocky: (shakes head and opens up a cabnet) Hey, Frodo?  
  
Frodo: One step closer - (turns down music) Yes? What is it?  
  
Rocky: Did you eat the WHOLE five pound bag of gummy bears my dad bought at BJ's yesterday?  
  
Frodo: (O.o) No, I had a couple and I didn't really care for them that much. Why?  
  
Rocky: The WHOLE FREAKING BAG is gone. (pulled the huge empty bag out of the cabnet) I hope for your sake that you're telling the truth. My dad is going to be on the warpath when he gets home and finds out that they're all gone.  
  
Frodo: Did your sister eat them?  
  
Rocky: Maquela is a pig, no doubt about that, but I don't think even she could pull that off. (garage door opens and Rocky's dad pulls into the garage) Shit.  
  
_ **You're My Light in the Dark**  
  
_Chapter 33_  
  
Merry looked around camp and turned to me. "Kat, where's Frodo?" As soon as the question escaped his lips, Sam, who was half alseep, jumped up alarmed. Both hobbits looked at me expectantly and I merely shrugged.  
  
They both turned to Aragorn, who was survaying the camp when his gaze stopped and fell upon Boromir's sheild lying unattended, propped up against a tree along with his packs.  
  
When they weren't looking, Lauren caught my eye and I nodded. "It has begun," I whispered. But I hadn't said it softly enough, Legolas glanced over at us questioningly.  
  
Frodo made his way through the trees and stopped by a statue that had long ago fallen over on it's side. He felt bad, and in all honesty a little scared, about abandoning his friends. But Kat had said to do what he needed to do, and he planned on doing just that, even though it meant finishing his task alone. It was his task and his alone.  
  
What had Kat said when she grabbed his hand? 'Remember what Galadriel had said.' Yes, that was it. But what did she mean by that? Galadriel had said many things as council to him. He didn't understand what she wanted him to remember.  
  
"I know why you seek solitude."  
  
Frodo was jerked out of his thoughts by Boromir, who was a few feet away gathering firewood. The man started making his way toward him, and as he got closer Frodo could see a strange look in his eyes. The very same look that he has seen the day he had fallen down the mountain, and just as it did then it still scared him. He started taking steps backward, uncertain and wary of what Boromir was getting at.  
  
"You suffer, I see it day by day. You sure you do not suffer needlessly? There are other ways, Frodo. Other paths that we might take," Boromir said.  
  
"I know what I must do, but I am afraid of doing it, Boromir: afraid," Frodo said. "There is no other way," he added sadly.  
  
"I wish to give you council, will you not take it?"  
  
"I think I know what you would say, Boromir, and it would seem like wisdom but for the warning in my heart."  
  
"Warning?" Boromir asked sharply, "Warning against what? We're all afraid, Frodo. But to let that fear drive us to destroy what hope we have? Don't you see that it is madness?"  
  
"Were you not at the Council?" Frodo questioned. "I know of what you wish to do! We cannot use it, even against him! And what is done with it turns to evil! There is no other way!"  
  
"I ask only the strength to defend my people!" Boromir said and in anger he threw the wood he gathered to the ground. "If you would but lend me the ring . . . "  
  
"No!" Frodo said sharply and stepped back a few more steps.  
  
"Why do you recoil?" Boromir asked slightly hurt. "I am no theif."  
  
"You are not yourself," Frodo explained.  
  
Boromir's expression changed to one of anger and annoyment. "What change do you think you have? They will find you! They will take the Ring and you will beg for death before the end!"  
  
Frodo narrowed his eys in anger at the tall man before him who was a good two feet taller and a lot stronger by mere size. He turned his back on him and started walking away.  
  
"You fool!" Boromir cried, and chased after him. Frodo started to run, and ducked behind a large broken piece of statue. Boromir was on the other side. "It is not yours save by unhappy chance. It could've been mine! It should've been mine! Give it to me!" The man lunged at Frodo.  
  
"No!" he cried and did the only thing he could do: he put on the Ring. The man gasped and stared for a moment in wonder before looking around him wildly.  
  
"Now I see your mind. You will take the Ring to Sauron! You will betray us! You go to your death and the death of us all! Curse you! Curse you! And all the halflings!" Boromir shouted, and in his rage tripped upon a rock and fell to the ground, becoming himself again. He looked around him.  
  
"Frodo?" he asked weakly. He held his face in his hands. "What have I done? Frodo! A madness took me, but it has passed! Please, come back! Come back! I'm sorry!"  
  
But the hobbit couldn't hear him. He was too far away and still in the shadow world with the Ring on his finger. He climbed up on top of the Seat of Seeing at the top of Amon Hen, and saw Sauron's tower in Mordor rushing towards him, the great Eye at the very top. Dark words in the Black Speech ran around him and he quickly backed up, trying to remove the Ring from his finger, and in his haste steped off the edge of the Seat of Seeing and fell to his back on the ground.  
  
Frodo coughed trying to get the air back into his lungs when he heard his name being called worriedly. He quickly got up grasping the Ring tightly, to see Aragorn coming towards him.  
  
"Frodo?" he asked concerned.  
  
"It has taken Boromir," Frodo said, the fear of the event still marked the hobbit's face.  
  
"Where is the Ring?" Aragorn asked, and Frodo backed away afraid, misunderstanding his reasons for asking.  
  
"Frodo," he said putting a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I swore to protect you."  
  
Frodo looked up at the former Ranger with sadness. "Can you protect me from yourself?" Aragorn suddenly understood why Frodo reacted like he did. Frodo held the Ring out on his palm. "Or would you distroy it?"  
  
Aragorn looked at the Ring and could hear it whispering his name. He reached out and closed Frodo's hand and pushed it toward the hobbit's chest. "I would have gone with you to the end, to the very fires of Mordor."  
  
"I know. Look after the others, especially Sam. He will not understand." Aragorn then remembered what Kat had said to him before they had split up to look for Frodo.  
  
_"I am going with Sam to look by the boats. We can't have him leaving without us, now can we?" she had laughed then, and for a split second he could have sworn her eyes held sadness. But as soon as it came it was gone and she had hugged him around his legs, seeing as that was all she could reach. "Until later, my friend."  
  
She took Sam by the hand and started running toward the river, and calling back over her shoulder. "And you're going to make a great king and leader, by the way! You can have my word on that! Never doubt yourself!"_  
  
Aragorn was very confused about that before, but now he understood as clear as day. Kat had known Frodo was leaving and she planned on leaving with him and taking Sam along as well.  
  
He put a hand on Frodo's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Good luck," he said. "May the Valar be with you." Aragorn then looked alarmed as he saw Sting at Frodo's side glowing blue. He stood suddenly. "Go, Frodo!" He pulled out his sword. "Run!" Frodo hesitated and he urged him on. "RUN!"  
  
_**a/n**: Review guys! Frodo and I are off to gym now. (Frodo waves) Later guys!_  
  
**Rocky**


	34. Chapter 34

_**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1. _

**Reviewers!**

PippinPirate: Ouch! I do that all the time! It hurts like a bee-atch! 

Moralinde: Thankyas! 

Insane Child of the Night: Thankies and here ya go! Oh, and I love your penname, btw. 

Elwen of the Valar: lol. :-) 

Magical Elf: Haha! You might not wanna kiss my feet though, considering they're all hairy from me being a hobbit and all . . . (No, seriously! I swear I am!) lol. 

Janna Hawkins: Frodo enjoyed Carly very much. Her and Paul. :P 

Hobbit Babe: Quite alright. :-) And I can't thank you enough for all the book recs you've been giving me. lol. 

**Randomness**: 

**Frodo**: Rocky's sick, so I'm uploading this chapter for her. It's kind of weird though, we still never found out what happened to the five pound bag of gummy bears. Rocky's dad hit the roof, and blamed ME for eating them all. I ate all of the chocolate, okay, but I don't even like gummy bears! Okay I gotta come down. I just hope I do this right, I'm not so good with these computer thing-a-ma-bobbers yet. 

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 34_

"Find the halfling! Find the halfling!" 

Frodo's mind was a blur. He just kept on running, weaving in and out of the trees. He heard orcs shouting, but his brain wouldn't comprehend what they were saying. To his dismay he saw a group of them come down the hill towards him, and he quickly dashed behind a tree, out of their view. 

"Psst!" he jerked his head sideways and saw Merry, Pippin, and Lauren hiding in a bush across the trail. Pippin was the one calling out to him, all the while Lauren trying to get him to shut up. "Frodo, over here!" 

Lauren smacked him, making Frodo smile slightly, but he immediately turned his expression grim and shook his head in return. Pippin looked confused and Merry's eyes widened in surprise. "What's he doin'?" Pippin asked. 

"He's leaving, you dolt!" Lauren hissed. 

"Oh, come on now, he can't be going off to Mordor alone," he argued. Lauren rolled her eyes; they didn't have time for this. 

"He can and he is; just Ieave the explainations til later!" she turned to Frodo and winked. "Good luck," she said and jumped out in the middle of the path. 

"Oi!" Merry and Pippin said alarmed and jumped out of the bush after her. 

Lauren scanned the area, and bingo, she found what she was looking for. "Hey! Hello!" she started waving frantically and shouting to another group of orcs, who when they saw them in the path started running towards them. 

Merry finally caught on to what she was trying to do. "Run, Frodo!" he said with a nod. "We got ya back." The three started running, all the while shouting to keep the orcs after them - well, in Lauren's case she was shouting insults. 

"Hey! Over here!" 

"Come on you ugly beasts! Bring it on!" 

"Hey you!" Pippin looked behind them, and saw the orcs go right past Frodo, their full attention on them. "Look! It's working!" 

"Of course it's working! Just run!" Merry retorted. 

When his three friends and the troop of orcs were out of sight, Frodo ran in the other direction back towards the boats. 

"How are you so sure that Mr. Frodo's gonna be here?" Sam asked me. 

"I just do. He'll be here, he'll come," I reassured him. "Got your packs ready?" I asked. 

Sam nodded and threw his in a boat. I did the same, and Frodo came sprinting into the clearing as I did so. His face fell when he noticed us. 

"Of the nuisances, you guys are the worst!" Frodo sighed. "Especially you," he said to me. 

"What?" I said in mock sarcasum. "Did you honestly think I would let you leave me behind a second time? Come now, Mister Baggins, you should know me better than that." 

"Aye, that was hard Mister Frodo, trying to leave with us and all. If Kat hadn't guessed right where would you be now?" Sam said. 

Frodo gave me a knowing look. "I'd be safely on my way." 

"Safely? All alone without anyone to help you? I couldn't have borne it, it would have been the death of me," Sam argued. 

"Same here," I added. 

"It would be the death of you to come with me, Sam," Frodo said. "And I could not have borne that." 

"Not as certain as being left behind," I said. 

"But I'm going to Mordor." 

"Duh!" 

"We've known that Mister Frodo," Sam said. "Of course you are. And we're coming with you." 

"Yeah, whatever's going to happen, you're not going alone," I said. 

"I'll knock holes in all of the boats first," Sam said and crossed his arms over his chest. Frodo laughed at his friends' stubborness and gave in. 

We threw Frodo's pack into our boat, got in ourselves, and pushed off shore. As we paddled down stream, a sound of a horn could be heard in the distance. 

"I'm glad you two are with me," Frodo admitted, then glancing back uncertainly at where our friends were. "I don't suppose we'll see them again," he said sadly. 

"Yet we may, Mr. Frodo. We may," Sam said hopefully. 

I bowed my head and prayed that everything would turn out right. I prayed for Boromir's soul, and I prayed for the safety of the others. 

OOO 

_**Frodo**: Right! So, Rocky hopes you guys enjoyed this chapter and please review! I only have 48 reviews left in my ransom to go! Bye!_ **-Rocky-**


	35. Chapter 35

_**Disclaimers**: I only own Kate, Lauren, and whatever you don't recognize to be Tolkien's.  
  
**Reviewers!!!**  
  
Hobbit Babe: Thank you, thank you. (bows) Thanks once again for the rec. Oh, thanks, I was beginning to wonder. Not many anonymous reviewers stay and keep reviewing for very long. But thanks for being the one and only for me! I love ya! (hugs)  
  
Ash: Haha, thankies. Also, I will send you your PotC Will/You fic via email when I get the chance, I promise. Actually, I'll do it as soon as I post this!  
  
Insane Child of the Night: (gollum voice) You shall see. Oh yes, you shall see . . . muahahaha.  
  
Janna Hawkins: Frodo was jumping up and down and all around the house when Carly won. lol. And I think Phelps is hot . . . and so is Morgan Ham . . . (drool) (cough cough) You didn't just read that!  
  
Elwen of the Valar: I don't think I would have the heart to stop with this fic even if I wanted to. But no worries, cuz I'm not planning on stopping anytime soon! I have a feeling this fic is gonna be a long one, this is gonna be chapter 35 and we still have to go through TTT and RotK and what's going on after the war. So just hold on tight, hun!  
  
lysia1982: Thanks! And I will try to! :-)  
  
**Randomness**:  
  
Frodo: Rocky's still sick, so she was able to get this chapter done pretty quickly. But she's still making me upload it for her! (glares at Rocky who is now happily eating a popsicle) (rolls eyes and mutters under breath) Rabid fangirls . . .  
  
Rocky: I heard that. (nods proudly) Damn right! Anyways, hope you guys enjoy!  
  
_ **You're My Light in the Dark**  
  
_Chapter 35_  
  
One arrow, two.  
  
Lauren looked up and saw Lurtz, the leader of the Uruk Hai, shoot arrows at Boromir, who was trying to protect her, Merry, and Pippin. The man sank to his knees and glanced at us, blinking a few times, before he got up and began fighting again. She just couldn't let him die. Lurtz was aiming another arrow . . .  
  
"Boromir! Watch out!" she called and ran in front of him, getting the arrow in her shoulder where it was suppose to have hit his lower stomach. She cried out in pain, her vision and sense of her surroundings blurred.  
  
She heard Merry and Pippin yelling gibberish. Everything was spinning and moving too fast. The last thing she saw was Boromir battling with Lurtz and Merry's worried face before she passed out.  
  
It was many days later and Frodo, Sam, and I found ourselves lost in Emyn Muil, made up of rocky slopes and was unpleasant to look upon.  
  
In the distance we could see Mordor. It seemed like a dark cloud of evil, looming in front of us, taunting us.  
  
Sam sighed. "Mordor. The one place in Middle-Earth we don't want to see any closer is the one place we're trying to get to, and just where we can't get." He turned to Frodo. "Let's face it, Mr. Frodo. We're lost. I don't think Gandalf meant for us to come this way."  
  
"Gandalf didn't mean for a lot of things to happen, Sam. But they did," he replied. He clutched the ring and sat down on a rock. Sam cast a worried glance my way.  
  
"It's getting heavier, isn't it?" I questioned. He nodded and took a sip of water from his water pouch. Sam pulled out some lembas bread from out of his packs and handed us each a share.  
  
He took a bite and shrugged. "I don't usually hold with foreign food, but this Elvish stuff - it's not bad."  
  
Frodo chuckled, the first time I saw him do anything but frown since we parted from the rest of the Fellowship. "Nothing ever dampens your spirits, does it, Sam?"  
  
Sam sighed and looked at the sky. He pointed and said, "Those rain clouds might."  
  
Later on that night it was my turn to stay up and keep watch. The sky seemed darker than I remembered; the moon looked as if it had been covered with a veil and the stars couldn't be seen.  
  
Frodo tossed and turned in his sleep, and started mumbling and talking. I laid a hand on his cheek, trying to calm him, but it wouldn't work. He then shouted "Gandalf!" and abruptly sat up, breathing heavily.  
  
I smiled at him. "Did that ease your fears?" I asked.  
  
"No, not exactly. It was just a dream."  
  
I shook my head as he lay back down. "Not all dreams are untrue," I said. "Behold the power of the bleach . . . " I smiled as I thought of my sister. Where is she now? I wondered.  
  
Lauren woke from her long sleep to find her hands bound and that she was being carried on the back of an Uruk Hai. The smell of him alone made her feel like she wanted to puke.  
  
Where are Merry and Pippin? she thought to herself. What ever happened to Boromir?  
  
The orc then took a particularly hard stride, painfully reminding her of the arrow wound she took to the shoulder.  
  
If only my hands weren't bound so that I could get that stone Galadriel gave me from out of my pocket. She hadn't told us how to use it or even what it did, she only told us that is was called the jewel of Nestad. When her and Kat had asked Legolas what Nestad meant he said it meant 'healing'. They presumed then that it had healing powers. She hoped that they were right.  
  
The orc that was carrying Pippin came up beside her. "Lauren!" Pippin said in surprise. His face was smeared with dirt, blood, and sweat. She didn't even wanna know what she looked like. "You're awake!"  
  
"Good job, Captain Obvious," she retorted, then grimaced when another wave of pain it her shoulder. "How long was I out?"  
  
" 'Bout two days," he replied. "We - as in Merry and I - were afraid that your wound was really bad or that it got infected or something. But I guess they want to keep us, or at least you, alive, because they've been putting these drops on your wound to prevent that from happening."  
  
"Hum," she said, slightly puzzled of why the orcs would do that. Why would they not want her dead? Wouldn't it be easier to take the ring - since that's what they're looking for - from her if she was dead? Or are they doing it for different reasons?  
  
The leader passed them by, went to the front of the line, and halted everyone.  
  
"What is it?" one asked. "What do you smell?"  
  
The leader sniffed the air once more. "Man flesh," he growled.  
  
Pippin's face lit up. "Aragorn!" he murmured. Lauren nodded absent-mindedly and watched as Pippin ripped the leaf brooch off of his elven cloak, which he and everyone in the Fellowship had gotten from Galadriel as one of their parting gifts. He spit it to the ground, to be stepped and marched on by the many orcs trailing behind us, and hopefully to be found by their friends.  
  
The next morning, we continued to travel through the rough and rocky terrain.  
  
"This looks strangely familiar," Sam remarked while he looked around at our surroundings.  
  
"That's because we've been here before. We're going in circles!" Frodo said frustrated. I tripped and cut my foot on a rock.  
  
"Damn it!" I cursed while sitting myself down on a rock to check out the damage, which turned out not to be bad at all.  
  
Frodo took a seat next to me and Sam went a ways onward. "Ugh!" He said holding his nose. "What is that god-awful stink? There's a bog nearby, I'll wager. Can you guys smell it?"  
  
Frodo and I both nodded. "Aye," I said. "We must be getting lost in the right direction at least. After we get out of Emyn Muil we'll have to travel the Dead Marshes to get to Mordor."  
  
Sam looked at me puzzled while Frodo merely nodded in understanding. "But how do we get out?" Frodo asked.  
  
I shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."  
  
"But we had better get out fast," Frodo continued. "I keep getting this weird feeling, especially at night before I go to sleep. It's almost like I'm being watched, and I can _feel_ the eyes watching me." He shuddered. "And sometimes, when I wake in the middle of the night, I can see a pair of golden eyes in the distance."  
  
Sam came and sat down with us. "Do you think it's from Sauron and the Ring?" he questioned. I shook my head and glanced around. I suddenly felt like what Frodo had just described.  
  
"We're not alone," I whispered.  
  
That night as we lay trying to sleep, we still had that awkward feeling of being watched, when we started to hear whisperings and mutterings coming closer.  
  
"They're thieves. They're thieves, they're filthy little thieves!"  
  
Frodo and I lay on our sides as to face each other. He gave me a questioning glance and I gave him a look that said "wait".  
  
"Where is it? Where is it? They stole it from us. My Precious. Curse them, we hates them! It's ours it is, and we wants it!"  
  
All of a sudden, a small bony creature jumped on top of us, and tried to pin Frodo down. Sam yanked the creature off of him, and threw it aside. It pushed Sam into a boulder and attempted to jump onto Frodo again.  
  
During all of this, the Ring managed to slip out from underneath Frodo's shirt, and the creature was doing all in it's power to try and get it.  
  
I grabbed it's legs and pulled him off of Frodo once more. It growled in fury and tackled me, biting me on the way down. We wrestled for some time along the ground, and I ended up being caught in a vise.  
  
Thankfully, Frodo put his sword, Sting, to it's throat. "This is Sting. You've seen it before, haven't you, _Gollum_?" he sneered the name. "Release her, or I'll cut your throat."  
  
Gollum unwillingly obeyed, and I was able to stand up and get a good look at him. He reminded me of a mangy, rabid dog - minus the fur - with haunting, hollow golden eyes.  
  
"You know, I'm beginning to hate you already," I muttered.  
  
_**a/n**:  
  
Frodo: Okay, now where's my ice cream?  
  
Rocky: (hands over a small tub of Chunky Monkey) (rolls eyes) The only way to get a hobbit to do anything is to bribe them with food, drink, or smoke.  
  
Frodo: So not true! I destroyed the One Ring and no one bribed me!  
  
Rocky: That's only because the Ring was a threat to your home which held all of your food, drink, and smoke.  
  
Frodo: (mutters and opens tub of ice cream to find no ice cream in it) Hey!  
  
Rocky: (looks puzzled) Now that's odd . . . (they both look at each other when they hear snickering from inside Rocky's closet) Please review! I gotta go find out what the hell that is. Laters!  
  
**Rocky** _


	36. Chapter 36

_**Disclaimers:** See chapter 1.  
  
**Reviewers!!!**  
  
Hobbit Babe: Yaya! Another rec! (dances) Thankya!  
  
Insane Child of the Night: Thank you! You're just gonna have to wait and see . . . muahahahaha.  
  
Random-Shiny: Your review made my day when I read it. (grins) I'm really glad you enjoy my fic. What kind of dancing do you do? I have to take ballet as well. (I swear, it's like a curse, I cannot dance to save my life! But thankfully I'm learning to so now my new floor routine won't suck this year.) Oh, yes, and Frodo says hi. :-)  
  
PippinPirate: Mind if I still call ya that even though you changed your name? Anyway, I did have little symbols there inbetween pov's, but it didn't show up when I posted the chapter. Hopefully I have better luck with it this chappy.  
  
Moralinde: Thankies! I did put something inbetween pov's but it didn't show up when I posted the chapter.  
  
Ash: Haha, you'll find out. ;-) And sorry if the last chapter was kinda confusing, it probably wouldn't have been if my breaks in pov's actually showed up like I wanted them to . . .  
  
Elwen: (hugs)  
  
I Like Mints: Thanks! Yeah, I kinda tend to mention certain things but explain in detail about them later. Sorry, a little old habbit of mine. :-)  
  
christie122: Lol. Thank you. It means a lot to me that you enjoy my work that much. (grins)  
  
Angel: Tis okay. (laughs evilly) Payback is a bitch, as the saying goes. And damn, I wish I had some more of that pipe-weed Frodo gave me, lol. That would just make my day - er, no, actually my life. XD  
  
Magical Elf: Hahaha, I think that we all wish we had some hobbit slaves.  
  
HelmsDeep2234: Morgan . . . (drool). And omfg! Ice cream!?! You rock, dude! (Frodo and Rocky can be seen hopping around like lunatics)  
  
Kess: Lol. Yeah, I know, but Pippin has his moments too. They don't call him a Fool of a Took for just doing stupid things, haha.  
  
**Randomness:**  
  
Rocky: Sorry I haven't updated sooner. I've had a lot on my hands lately. Been busy getting a new floor routine made up and getting ready to go back to school and such. And when school does start I dunno how often I'm gonna be able to update, but I will do my best.  
  
Plus, I now have two hobbits to look after. (Pippin had been hiding in my house for a while without me knowing.) Turns out he was the one who ate the whole five pound bag of gummy bears and all of our ice cream. (Which thanks to HelmsDeep we now have more of!) Yaya!  
  
(**CRASH!!**) (Pippin and Frodo can be heard screaming in the background)  
  
Oh, boy. I better see what they've gotten into now. Hope you guys like this chappy!  
  
_ **You're My Light in the Dark**  
  
_Chapter 36_  
  
The next morning, Frodo, Sam, and I were getting a splitting headache from Gollum who was screaming his head off. Sam had tied the elvish rope Galadriel had given him around Gollum's neck, and the damned creature just had to make our lives as miserable as possible.  
  
"It burns! It burns! It freezes! Nasty elves twisted it! Take it off us!" Gollum cried.  
  
"Queit you!" Sam snapped.  
  
Gollum started wailing at Sam's reply.  
  
"It would seem that the rope knows evil when it sees it," I muttered under my breath so Frodo wouldn't hear.  
  
Sam huffed aggravated. "It's hopeless! Every orc in Mordor is going to hear this racket! Let's just tie 'em up and leave him."  
  
"No!" Gollum cried alarmed. "That would kill us! Kill us!"  
  
"It's no more than you deserve!" Sam replied.  
  
I muttered under my breath again. "You have no idea."  
  
"Maybe he does deserve to die..." Frodo said while studying Gollum, who was now rolling around on the ground hysterical. "But now that I see him, I do pity him."  
  
Sam stared at Frodo like he just sprouted five extra heads. True, I did see where Frodo was coming from, but I couldn't be nice to Gollum even if I tried. Just for the pure fact of what I know he's going to do.  
  
Gollum immediately stopped and looked up at Frodo so innocently. "We be nice to them, if they be nice to us," he tugged on the elvish rope around his neck, "Take it off us! We swears to do what you wants. We swears!"  
  
Frodo eyed him warily. "There's no promise you can make that I can trust."  
  
"We swears to serve the master of the Precious," he said looking Frodo in the eye. "We swears on - on, the Precious!"  
  
Sam and I shared a look, and he shook his head in agreement. A silent pact of distrust if you want to call it that.  
  
"The ring is trecherous, but I'll hold you to your word," Frodo said.  
  
Gollum started nodding his head and crawled over to our feet. "Yes, on the Precious." He looked up at all three of us, his eyes big and innocent once more. "On the Precious."  
  
Sam couldn't take this anymore. "I don't believe you!" he shouted making to grab Gollum, but the sickly creature bolted, and Sam gave the rope a fast tug. Gollum got whiplash, and flew to his back before he got very far.  
  
"Sam!" Frodo cried and took the rope away from his friend. I could only smile as I watched Gollum gasp for air and rub his sore neck.  
  
"He's trying to trick us!" Sam said. "If we let him go he'll throttle us in our sleep!"  
  
Frodo glanced at me. I shook my head and sighed. "Do what you think is right on this, Frodo. I must stay idle." He gave me a questioning look, but I merely turned my back to him and tried to rake my fingers through my tangled and dirty hair.  
  
Frodo paused for a moment, then finally sighed and approached Gollum.  
  
"You know the way to Mordor?" he asked.  
  
I turned around to watch the scene. "So be it," I murmered and shook my head.  
  
Gollum looked up at him afraid. "Yes," he said warily.  
  
Frodo kneeled. "You've been there before?"  
  
"Yes," he replied and nodded. Frodo pulled the rope up and over Gollum's head.  
  
"You will lead us to the Black Gate," Frodo said. Gollum quickly ran off, and we found it hard to keep up with him. Every now and then we would lose sight with him completely, Sam giving Frodo the "I told ya so" look every time we did. But sadly we would always find Gollum a ways ahead, waiting for us to catch up.  
  
Soon enough, the orcs that were carrying Merry, Lauren, and Pippn, got sick of having to carry them on their backs. They were made to run, and if they stumbled they were whipped or dragged along the ground for a while.  
  
They also gave the hobbits a draught, the liquid gave their body a warm sensation, and even took some of the pain away from Lauren's shoulder wound. The three couldn't remember much of their journey after that. Everything seemed so dark. Whether it was night or their eyes were failing them, they couldn't be sure.  
  
Somewhere on their way Pippin fell unconscious - just dropped face down in the muddy ground - from exastion. An orc just picked him up and flung him back over his shoulder like a sack.  
  
Lauren wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out. The warmth of the draught was long gone, her shoulder throbbed, and her knees felt like they were going to just walk off of her from all the running.  
  
Some nights later (how many exactly not one of them was sure of), the orcs demanded a rest and to set up camp for the night. When most of them had gone off to gather firewood and the hobbits were left unattended, Pippin crawled over to where Lauren and Merry were laying.  
  
Lauren could barely move, she believed her shoulder had gotten worse. Merry had a large gash across his forhead. And what made it all the more irritating for Lauren was that since her hands were tied together, she couldn't get the healing stone from out of her pocket.  
  
"Merry? Lauren?" Pippin questioned.  
  
"I think we might have made a mistake leaving the Shire," Merry said weakly.  
  
"Oh, come on now, don't go saying that," Lauren said. She tried to change her position but winced. "Frodo needs us. They think we have the Ring," she whispered.  
  
They both nodded in understanding. They heard groaning and clicking sounds coming from within a forest near the camp.  
  
"What's making that noise?" Pippin asked. Merry listened for a few more moments.  
  
"It's the trees," he replied.  
  
"What?" Pippin asked.  
  
"You remember the old forest, on the borders of Buckland? Folks used to say there was something in the water that made the trees grow tall and come alive," Merry said.  
  
"Alive?" Pippin asked in wonder.  
  
"Trees that could whisper, talk to each other, even move," he continued.  
  
"They're not just any ordinery trees," Lauren cut in. Her friends both gave her questioning looks, but she was unable to say anymore because an uproar had started in the orc camp.  
  
"I'm starvin'!" one orc shouted. "We ain't had nothin' but maggoty bread for three stinkin' days!" he threw the piece of bread he had in his hand to the ground.  
  
"Yeah! Why don't we have some meats?" another one said excitedly. He turned his head and looked straight at them with a weird expression. "What about them," he continued and pointed at the hobbits, "They're fresh!"  
  
The lead orc, and if Lauren remembered his name correctly she believed it was Ugluk, jerked the orc that wanted to eat them. "They are not for eating!" He then grabbed the hobbit's shirt collars and dragged them further away.  
  
"What about their legs?" another said. "They don't need those. Ooh, they look tasty." He tried to get close to them but Ugluk shoved him away.  
  
"Get back, Scum!"  
  
The orcs started yelling angrily at their leader.  
  
"Just carve 'em up! Just a mouthful!"  
  
One ran forward with a scimitar towards the hobbits. Ugluk quickly pulled out his sword and swung one swift slice. The orc's head fell into Lauren's lap.  
  
"Ahh!" she squeaked and pushed it quickly to the ground.  
  
"Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys!" Ugluk shouted and the rest started yelling. The threesome were pushed aside as they started attacking at the body.  
  
Merry nudged his friends. "Come on, let's go!"  
  
"See, see! We've led you out!" Gollum said happily as he waited for us. He was seated upon a large rock, and he pointed down the path excitedly. "Hurry, hobbitses, hurry! Very lucky we find you."  
  
Frodo went down the path first and I follwed close behind. From behind me I could hear Gollum say to Sam, "Nice hobbit," then Sam growl in frustration. I chuckled slightly.  
  
Gollum scampered up back to his place in the lead, and Sam cried out as a splash was heard. "It's a bog! The little bugger's led us into a swamp!"  
  
"It's not just any bog, Sam," I said. "We're in the Dead Marshes."  
  
"Yes, yes, the Dead Marshes. That is their name. Come hobbitses! We will take you on safe paths through the mist," Gollum said. He hopped along, as the rest of us were splashing into the water and having a much harder time of moving on.  
  
"Look! There are dead things, dead faces in the water!" Sam pointed out.  
  
"Hence the name Dead Marshes," I said as I shook my head. "There was a great battle here long ago."  
  
Gollum turned around and gave me a skeptical look. "All dead, all rotten. Elves and men and orcses. Quickly! As swift as shadows we must be! Do not follow the lights!"  
  
Frodo tripped and fell into a puddle. "Careful now," Gollum continued, "Or hobbits go down to join the dead ones and light little candles of their own."  
  
I shuddered at the thought. Frodo started going in another direction. 'What was he doing?' I thought. Frodo stopped and stood next to a pool, gazing into it.  
  
"Frodo?" I called. He didn't answer. Gollum either ignored me or didn't hear me and continued moving forward. Suddenly, Frodo started to waver and he fell face first into the water.  
  
"Frodo!" Sam cried startled.  
  
I ran forward to the pool as fast as I could. I reached forward and grabbed Frodo's shoulder, but I couldn't bring him up to the surface. His wet clothes and pack weighed him down. Gollum appeared next to me and with his help we were able to get him out.  
  
He sputtered and gasped for air when he reached the surface and we dragged him back up onto the ground. Frodo lay propped up against me bretahing heavily, getting me all wet in the process.  
  
"Gollum?" Frodo questioned surprised.  
  
"Don't follow the lights," he replied sternly and hopped away.  
  
"Mr. Frodo, are you alright?" Sam asked worried.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine." Frodo nodded. "Where has Gollum gone off to?"  
  
"I dunno," I replied. "But I think we better go look for some extra food, though I'm not so sure what we'll be able to find around here."  
  
"Hobbitses!" we heard Gollum call excitedly. "We find a pond! Clean pond!"  
  
Sam helped Frodo and I up and went in the direction of his voice. We found him in a little gully, out of sight. And sure enough, the water in it wasn't marshy.  
  
"We found this once while hiding from nasty orcses," Gollum explained and happily dipped his hands in the water. He seemed greatly delighted to feel the water, and chuckled to himself, sometimes even croaking in a sort of song.  
  
_The cold hard lands  
they bites our hands,  
they gnaws our feet.  
  
The rocks and stones  
are like old bones  
all bare of meat.  
  
But stream and pool  
is wet and cool:  
si nice for feet!  
  
And now we wish-_  
  
He cut his song off and glanced at us. "Haha! What does we wish? We'll tell you," he croaked. "He guessed it long ago, Baggins guessed it, yes he did."  
  
A strange gleam came to his eyes then and Sam cast a worried look my way. Frodo didn't seem trobled at all, like he didn't even notice it.  
  
_Alive without breath;  
as cold as death;  
never thirsting, ever drinking;  
clad in mail, never clinking.  
  
Drowns on dry land,  
thinks an island  
is a mountain;  
thinks a fountain  
is a puff of air.  
  
So sleek, so fair!  
What a joy to meet!  
  
We only wish  
to catch a fish,  
so juicy-sweet!_  
  
_**a/n**:  
  
Frodo and Pippin: (all scratched up and bruised)  
  
Rocky: (shakes head) I don't know what I'm going to do with them.  
  
Frodo: Yeah, Pippin just had to go and push Rocky's cat off of her scatching post.  
  
Pippin: Hey! You dared me!  
  
Frodo: That's not the point. You didn't actually have to go through with it.  
  
Pippin: (Crosses his arms and pouts)  
  
Rocky: Well, I guess I have to go to the store and buy some more band aids. Please review, guys!  
  
_ **-Rocky-**


	37. Chapter 37

_**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1.  
  
**Reviewers!!!**  
  
Hobbit Babe: Thankyas for the rec, hun. And sorry for the wait fot this chapter, it couldn't be helped.  
  
Insane Child of the Night: Yeah, I'm having them go along the lines of the movies, but I do add some parts from the books.  
  
PippinPirate: Yeah, tell me about it. And I've been keeping them away from sugar and stuff, but they just seem to have natural energy. But when they do get their hands on something, believe me when I say all hell brakes loose. XD  
  
Elwen: Thank you so much for emailing me! I love getting email. (hugs) Oh, and Frodo and Pippin say hi and thanks for the band-aids.  
  
Moralinde: Thankies, hun!  
  
InsanelyObsessed: Thank you. I try to make all my fics different and unique from other ones like them. And thanks for the suggestion. :-)  
  
Janna Hawkins: Woot! That should keep them occupied. (For a while anyways.)  
  
Amethystdancer: Thanks! (grins)  
  
CelticPuzzleGrl: Thankies! I loved writing the Mirror of Galadriel chapter. It was so much fun piecing all of the story together like that. And just think, that chappy still has a role in the story. (Remember the mirror shows things that were, things that are, and some things that have not yet come to pass.)  
  
Rainbow Fish: Glad you like it. And as soon as my 200 review ransom is up for Frodo, I will gladly hand Pippin over to you. He's really hyper all the time and my parents are getting very angry at me because of the money we've had to spend on grocery shopping. XD Oh yeah, and I did try putting the spacers in like three times after I uploaded it. Didn't work.  
  
WildPixieChild16: Thankyas, hun! :-)  
  
**Randomness**:  
  
Hey guys. I'm ****__so_ sorry for the lack of updates. Between gym, school, and my sister's ice skating competitions every weekend, I was (and still am) having a hard time finding time to write.  
  
Thank god, I actually have some peace and quiet. Pippin is so loud and rambunctious. Cute, though he may be, he can still be quite annoying. Him and Frodo are out with my sister looking for a birthday cake for her birthday party. (My sister's birthday is on Tuesday and for some odd reason both hobbits are really excited about it. I have a funny feeling they think this party is gonna be like a hobbit party, smoke, ale, and all. XD  
  
Hope you guys enjoy this chappy, and hopefully I'll be able to find something for a spacer.  
  
**You're My Light in the Dark**  
  
_Chapter 37_  
  
Merry nudged his friends. "Come on, let's go!"  
  
The three started crawling as fast as they could away from the orcs that had captured them. But they hadn't gone far before a large foot stomped on Lauren's back hard, pinning her to the ground. Startled, her companions stopped abruptly, and Pippin shuddered as he felt someone groping at his back.  
  
Merry rolled over and saw it was an orc who had found them. He was pinning Lauren to the ground with his foot, and was apparently looking for something on Pippin. Lauren's words seemed to replay in his head as it occurred to him what the orc was doing.  
  
_"They think we have the Ring."_  
  
"I don't think you will find it that way," Merry said. "It isn't easy to find."  
  
The orc stopped and looked at him with his desire-filled eyes narrowed. "Find it? Of course I will find it. And I will make it easy, even if I have to search to your very bones." He held up a knife to Merry's face, causing Merry's eyes to widen as the sharp object came way too close for his comfort. "Little people shouldn't meddle in affairs that are too big for them."  
  
She couldn't see what was going on, but anger surged through Lauren at the last comment. The orc was gradually putting more and more pressure on her, causing her shoulder to throb painfully and it was becoming harder to breathe.  
  
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake, and horse galloping could be heard. They could hear people shouting and weapons whizzing through the air. Above her, Lauren heard a gurgling cry of pain before something very heavy, hairy, and smelly fell on top of her.  
  
"Lauren!" she heard Merry and Pippin calling her name worriedly. She tried to get up, but whatever was on her prevented her from actually doing it. And from the smell, she guessed she had the orc crushing her.  
  
After many pushs and shoves, her friends were able to roll the body of the orc off of her. She coughed slightly trying to get the air back into her lungs before she was able to look around at the orc camp, which was now being used as a battle field. Men on horses, which Lauren assumed must have been Eomer and a part of the horse army from Rohan. Eomer's men were kicking the orcs' ass, running them over and throwing spears through their bodies.  
  
Pippin looked around with a smile. "Well, at least now we'll be able to escape." Merry and Lauren both sent him an irritated glare.  
  
"Do yo have a plan on getting us out of here without becoming a shish-ca-bob?" Merry and Pippin looked at her weirdly. "Never mind," Lauren sighed.  
  
Merry shrugged then noticed the orc's sword laying near. He crawled over and started rubbing the bonds on his hands against it until they finally cut. He flashed an accomplished grin at them and they crawled over excitedly as well.  
  
When all three of them were free, they stayed low to the ground and tried not to get the attention of the Riders, afraid of being skewered.  
  
"What are we going to do now?" Pippin questioned. Lauren racked her brain, now getting worried. She couldn't remember what was suppose to happen next. She hadn't been obsessed like her sister had been and studied every nook and cranny of the storyline. Then add about five years, it was starting to get hard for her to remember, especially since Kate wasn't around to help remind her.  
  
She studied the camp looking for some sort of clue, having to duck every now and then when a stray weapon would threaten hitting her. That's when she saw an orc move away from the battle, looking for something. She noticed it was the head orc. It seemed that he couldn't find what he was looking for, then just her luck, he turned his gaze to them and started making his way through the battle towards them with great haste.  
  
"Ah! Let's get outta here!" Lauren practically squeaked. She shoved Pippin and Merry and the three ran as fast as they could. Merry led the way, Pippin and Lauren not too far behind.  
  
**(Insert random spacer here since nothing else will work.)**  
  
I was in a dark tunnel. Evil surrounded me, I could feel it squeeze me in a vice grip. Words whispered around me. I couldn't understand them, they sounded foul and ugly to my ears. Suddenly I was engulfed in flames, the pain was unbearable and it felt as if I was melting like a wax candle. I could hear my screams echo off the dark walls, and with them came terrible laughter...  
  
"Kat, Kat!" Wake up!" I could barely make out Frodo's tired and worried voice and him shaking me awake. I was pulled away from the darkness and bolted upright from my bedroll, breathing heavily.  
  
"You had a nightmare again, didn't you?" he asked me. I nodded.  
  
"Yes," I replied quietly. I had been getting these awful dreams for the past few nights, and every night it had gotten worse from the one before. "I'm sorry for waking you."  
  
Frodo smiled slightly. "No need to be sorry. You didn't wake me." I gave him a questioning look. "I couldn't sleep," he explained. I nodded in understanding.  
  
"I'm gonna do the best I can to get us through this with as little pain as possible," I said, "Even though I'm not exactly sure how much I'll actually be able to do," I finished sadly.  
  
Frodo wrapped his arms around me and planted a kiss on the top of my head. "I know," he whispered into my hair. "I'm glad you're with me Kate."  
  
I smiled. "And I'm not going anywhere. You'll have to tie me up and send me to Rivendell in a sack to stop me. Don't you forget that."  
  
"Why Rivendell?" he questioned.  
  
"I have to make a stop there before heading back to the Shire. I believe a certain apology is owed to Arwen for my and Lauren's behavior towards her before we left," I explained with a chuckle.  
  
"Oh," he said in amusement. "I'm not even going to ask."  
  
"Very wise move on your part," I said.  
  
"Why is that?"  
  
"It's a very long story," I said simply. "I'll tell you some other time. Or, actually, I think Lauren should be the one to tell you." He gave me a questioning look. "Let's just say she was the target of Arwen's mean upper-cut shots. That was not a pretty cat fight, let me tell you."  
  
Frodo laughed. It sounded so good, I loved to hear him laugh, and it made me feel good that I was the one to get him to since he barely did laugh anymore.  
  
Sam snored particularly loud, causing us both to jump at the sudden noise, which caused us both to laugh again. When we sobered up a little, I noticed something seemed different. I glanced around the camp.  
  
"Frodo, where's Gollum?" I asked. He shrugged in reply.  
  
"I dunno. Come on, lets go look for him."  
  
We searched the area and managed to find the damned creature, who was taking solitude by hiding himself in between boulders. The only reason we even found him was because we heard his ramblings.  
  
"So bright. So beautiful. Our Precioussssss," we heard Gollum purr. Frodo and I shared a look.  
  
"Gollum?" Frodo said, wanting Gollum to come out. He only poked his head out to look over the side of the rock to see us.  
  
"Master should be resting. Nice hobbitses needs to keep up their strength," was all he said. He retracted his head once more and we could now hear him singing. "Cold be heart and hand and bone, cold be travelers far from home. They do not see what lies ahead, when sun has faded and moon is dead."  
  
A cold chill ran up my spine at the words of his song. Wasn't Gollum suppose to become a little nicer? Or have I prevented that?  
  
"You weren't much different from a hobbit once, were you?" Frodo asked. Gollum either didn't hear him or chose to ignore him. I thought the latter.  
  
"Smeagol," I said softly. Gollum sat still and silent for many moments, then he finally poked his head around the boulder to be able to see us.  
  
"What did you call me?" he asked slowly. Bingo, point for me, we finally hit a soft spot.  
  
"That was your name once, wasn't it?" Frodo asked with a side glance at me. "A very long time ago."  
  
Gollum stared at us blankly for many moments before a smile of remembrance broke out upon his features.  
  
_**a/n**:  
  
(My sister Kiki, and the hobbits come home)  
  
Kiki: (Comes running in the house) Rocky! You have got to see this cake Frodo picked out! It's like awesome!"  
  
Rocky: (thinking to herself) Why do I have a bad feeling about this? (walks into the garage to find a very large box that took up the whole trunk of the mini van)  
  
Frodo and Pippin: (looking very proud, excited, and hungry)  
  
Rocky: Kiki, how much was this...er, (reads label) custom made wedding cake?  
  
Kiki: Enough. If dad ever finds out he'll kill the hobbits. No, actually, he'll kill me for letting them get it.  
  
Rocky: What do you mean he doesn't know? Who drove you then? Don't even tell me the hobbits drove.  
  
Kiki: The hobbits drove.  
  
Rocky: Mum and Dad are gonna have a shit. (shakes head) Please review. I gotta go find some place for this mansion of a cake. Laters.  
  
_ **-Rocky-**


	38. Chapter 38

_**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1.  
  
**Reviewers!!!**  
  
Insane Child of the Night: Haha, thanks.  
  
Moralinde: Thankies, hun. :-)  
  
ArcherofDarkness: Yeah, my lil' sis must have been on something to actually have let the hobbits drive. XD And thanks for being patient with me. Patience is a virtue, as the saying goes.  
  
Elwen: Thanks. Speaking of my sister's skating, (was it last week? yeah, I believe it was last weekend...) she won Little New Englands again for the second year in a row.  
  
Jana Hawkins: Lmao! Oh, they're not that bad...haha.  
  
Hobbit Babe: Yeah, I just saw X Men 2. Well, most of it anyway, since I haven't yet gotten to see the ending. Grr. That's a quality movie, though. Now I have to go out and rent the first one now that I've seen (most of) the second. (grins)  
  
Angel: Woot! You're back! Sorry to hear about your computer...that must of sucked major ass. I don't think that I could have lived without my computer for more than a couple of days. Anyways, I did get that part of chapter 3 of RotR that you sent me, and I liked it lots. I'll add more to it and send it back to ya sometime soon.  
  
**Randomness:**  
  
Hey guys! I'm really sorry about the wait for this chappy...again. (sigh) But I have been writing as much as I can. Thanks for being so patient with me. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. (grins)  
  
_ **You're My Light in the Dark**  
  
_Chapter 38_  
  
"Did we lose 'em?" Merry panted.  
  
Lauren and Pippin had been following him into a forest, Fangorn Forest if Lauren remembered correctly, since it seemed like the best hiding spot from the orcs. As the sound of the battle faded away behind them, so did the adrenaline and fear in their hearts. The deeper they went into the forest, the slower their pace became.  
  
Lauren took a long glance over her shoulder. "Yeah, I think we lost them," she replied. Merry breathed a sigh of relief and took a seat on the forest's leafy floor.  
  
"Good," he said. "I didn't know how much longer we were going to be able to go like that." Merry looked up at his friends, and even though both their faces were smeared with dirt, you could still see how flushed they were as they gasped for breath. He also noticed that Lauren's lips were cracked and bleeding, and he could tell bruises were starting to form underneath the grime on her cheeks from the orcs hitting her.  
  
"Well, let's find a drink at any rate," Pippin said. "I'm parched." Merry and Lauren nodded, and Lauren helped Merry get back up to his feet. They ended up following a broken tree root until they finally came across a stream.  
  
The water was cool and refreshing, helped clear their heads somewhat and soothed their aching feet. They rested by the stream until dusk.  
  
"You haven't gotten us lost already, have you, Merry?" Pippin questioned as he sat himself against a trunk of a tree. The sky was gray and the air was becoming rapidly cooler with the sun already gone down.  
  
"I don't suppose it matters much," Merry replied sadly. "Just another problem to add to the ongoing list."  
  
"We can always follow the stream a ways," Lauren suggested, though her mind was far away deep in thought. "Entwash, it's called, I think." That was it. She knew something was missing. The walking trees. She could just hear her sister now...  
  
_"Please, Kat! Just one more time!" she begged while wrestling on the floor with her older sister over the remote control. "I wanna see the scene with the walking trees again! Just one more time!"  
  
"Once more?!" Kate replied annoyed. The next few minutes were spent rolling around the living room before she could continue. "We've already been watching the same scene for a half hour!"  
  
"Forty-five if you count our fight," Lauren commented. "Come on, you gotta love those kick-ass walking trees!"  
  
Kate was finally able to pin her little sister down and pry the remote out of her hands. She grinned in triumph and replied, "How many times do I have to tell you? They aren't trees, they're called Ents!" She got off of Lauren and held the remote control high out of Lauren's reach.  
  
Lauren dusted herself off. "Yeah, yeah," she said. "Then why is that dude's name Treebeard? Huh, huh?" Kate never even got the chance to answer because she found herself being tackled back to the ground._  
  
Lauren smiled at the memory. Back when she and Kat were teenagers and everything had seemed so simple. Sure, their lives had been living hell, no denying that, but it had been simple. Go to practice, do schoolwork, practice again, go to sleep. Add small meals here and there and that was their life. Boring, hard, and pure hell.  
  
That was only five years ago. To Lauren it seemed so far into the past that was almost like a different lifetime altogether. So much had changed since then. She couldn't help but think of what their lives would be like five years from now. Would Kat be able to help Frodo destroy that damn ring like planned? Or would things not go according to schedule? Would they just be slaves or even dead if it doesn't happen?  
  
"Lauren?" She was brought out of her thoughts by Merry, who was looking at her worriedly. "Are you alright? You're looking awfully pale."  
  
She nodded absentmindedly. "Um...yeah, I guess. Just thinking."  
  
Merry gave her a weak smile. "Alright then. But, I really think you should eat a little something." He pulled a small crumpled up thing from out of his pocket. "We don't have much, just a little bit of Lembas bread that Pippin and I thankfully had in our pockets. They're kind of crushed, but hey, it's better than nothing."  
  
He held out a small piece of the elven bread to her, and she could only stare at his hand for several moments. She wasn't hungry. She wasn't even all that tired, either, to be honest with herself. She just felt...numb.  
  
Lauren realized that she was thinking and acting like Kat, and that scared her. Kat had always been the worry-wart, over-analyzing things and pondering situations and "what if's?" until she would make herself sick. Always the thinker, her sister was. And Lauren would always be able to make Kat feel better by changing the way Kat looked at the situation.  
  
Sure, she always knew that anything could go wrong at any minute and the story line not go as it was suppose to. But Lauren had never given it much thought. She kind of just took it for granted and almost automatically assumed that everything would go according to plan.  
  
But now that she actually thought about it reasonably, could everything go wrong since she and Kat were here? And if it did, what would happen to them and Middle Earth? Would it become an actual living hell?  
  
She thought of what had happened with the whole orc ordeal they just went through, and realized that if Frodo failed, if the ring isn't destroyed, the pain is going to be worse. Much worse. And the fact that she couldn't change the situation around in her head like she use to do with Kat didn't make her feel any better.  
  
Lauren shuddered involuntarily and felt strong arms wrap around her comfortingly. She snuggled into the embrace and could hear Merry whisper soothing words into her hair. That's when she lost it. She buried her face into his chest and cried.  
  
**(Insert the spacerness here... :P)**  
  
"Nice hobbitses must stay and hide with Smeagol. They mustn't go out and see the Yellow Face."  
  
Sam made a face at Gollum and started to make his way out of the alcove in which we were resting, but I laid a gentle hand on his arm to prevent him from going anywhere.  
  
"No matter how much I hate to admit this, but he's right," I said. "We shouldn't go out just yet, it's too dangerous. We're very close to the Gate now, and we really shouldn't take any unneccecary chances. We could be seen."  
  
Sam sighed and reluctantly sat back down. "I know, and I'm sorry for being restless. It's just that, it's so dark 'round here. I long to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin."  
  
I nodded in understanding since I felt the same way. We hadn't seen the sun out for many days, and it's comforting rays were missed.  
  
"Dark skys for dark times," Frodo said softly.  
  
I looked over at him, and it seemed like his mind was somewhere else. He had a far away expression on his face and was staring ahead blankly.  
  
The Ring was finally getting to him, finally reaching at his soul. He often would stare at the Ring for a long while when he thought I was unaware and asleep when we stopped for rests. And it couldn't be helping much now that we were so close to Mordor. I couldn't help feeling guilty about it all. I had wanted so bad to help and prevent the evil from getting to him.  
  
"Well, since we're not going anywhere, I think we should eat a bit and get a little sleep while we can," Sam suggested. He opened up his pack and pulled out some Lembas bread, then threw little pieces to Frodo and me before breaking off a small piece for himself.  
  
Frodo glanced over at Gollum, who curled himself up in a ball and sat as far away from us as possible. "Are you hungry, Smeagol?" Frodo asked.  
  
Gollum turned around and had a strange gleam in his eye. "Yes, yes. Very hungry. Quite famished."  
  
"Do you want some then?" he questioned, indicating to the bread. "It's not much, though, I'm afraid." Frodo broke off a small corner of his share and tossed it to Gollum, who nibbled at it then immediatly spit it out.  
  
"Gah!" he sputtered. "Dust and ashes that taste and smell like nasty, nasty elves! We can't eat that. Poor Smeagol will have to starve."  
  
Frodo looked taken aback, but merely shrugged and was too tired to bother. Sam rolled his eyes then pulled out his blanket so he could sleep.  
  
I crawled over to Frodo and wrapped my arms around him. "I'm sorry," I whispered.  
  
"What is there for you to be apologizing for?" Frodo asked. His response surprised me; I wasn't expecting him to answer.  
  
"No one should have to go through what you are now," I replied softly. "But please try not to dwell on the Ring. It's gradually devouring you."  
  
"I can't help it," he admitted, "Sometimes it seems that it's the only thing I'm able to think about."  
  
I leaned in and kissed him lightly. "I know. But we're going to have to fix that. It doesn't do anyone any good if you're obsessed with a damn piece of gold."  
  
He chuckled softly. "Hey, I'm not obsessed."  
  
"Yeah, I suppose you're right. You could be like him," I said referring to our so called guide. "And let's hope you never reach that point," I added.  
  
_**a/n**:  
  
Rocky: (dances) Yay, I finally finished that chappy!  
  
Pippin: Yeah, took ya long enough.  
  
Rocky: It's not like you were any help. (glares at the hobbits who are happily munching away on their leftover donations recieved by my oh-so-awesome reviewers)  
  
Frodo: Hey, we haven't been that bad...  
  
Rocky: No, you've been fine. But Pippin has been spending way too much time with my sister. Troublesome pair, them two. Very scary.  
  
Frodo: Yeah, and I only have about 12 reviews left for my ransom! (grins like the adorable hobbit that he is) Please review!  
  
_ **-Rocky-**


	39. Chapter 39

_**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1. _

**Reviewers!**

Janna Hawkins: Lol. The hobbitses have surprisingly been good. (Pippin flashes an adorable smile) Damn, their cuteness shall be the end of me. 

Archer of Darkness: lol. wow, you are such like me on a boredom/hyper mode. lmao. Your review made me laugh, gotta love it. XD 

Elwen: Thankies! And yeah, Kat and Lauren have seen the first two movies but they had gone to Middle Earth like a week before the third one came out. Also, both Lauren and Kat had read the books, but Lauren doesn't know as much about Lord of the Rings as Kat does because she wasn't obsessed over it like her sister was. Hope that answers your question! 

Insane Child of the Night: Yes, that shall be very entertaining indeed. lol. Thanks! 

Moralinde: Yeah...I just couldn't help myself. I wanna put in some Merry/Lauren fluff in a future update. Thankies. :-) 

Rainbow Fish: I do aim to keep on making it better. I've also noticed how much my writing has improved since when I first started this fic. I look back to like the first chapter and I'm like "Ah, my eyes!" Nah, not really, lol. Oh, and I have a present for you! (grins) 

Hobbit Babe: Kurt is yummy. (lick) lol. Thanks for the rec! 

AppaloosasRock09876: Haha. Glad you enjoy my fic. :-) 

ilfirin912: Hey there! Can't wait for your next update. And don't worry about it, I went a nutters a very long time ago. (Frodo and Pippin wave) 

SakuraRangerzGrl: lol. I know how you feel. I use to fight over the computer with my family all the time. Thanks for reviewing! 

**Randomness:**

Hey there! Sorry about the wait for this chapter. A lot of things have been going on for me and I had a bit of a writer's block on top of that. 

Oh, and I have a LiveJournal ( www . livejournal . com / silentwishes ) if you guys want to check it out. It's kind of like an online blogging community, and I was wondering if anyone who didn't already have one wanted to sign up for one. They're really fun and I'll add any of you guys to my friends list! (smiles and nods) 

Hope you guys enjoy this chappy:-) 

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 39_

"Are we going in the right direction, Merry?" Pippin questioned. Merry had been leading them down the stream like Lauren had suggested. 

"How am I suppose to know?" Merry asked. "This way looks just as promising as any other." 

Lauren was getting worried. Surely Treebeard should have come across them by now? Not really paying attention to where she was going, she tripped over a tree root and fell to her knees in the shallow bank of the stream. "Damn it!" she cursed. 

Merry helped her up, the looks he was giving her did not go unnoticed by Pippin. He shook his head, he could tell they both liked each other, why didn't they realize it? 

Gollum led Frodo, Sam, and I up a rock face. I knew what lay up at the top, and it was something I was not looking forward to see. 

"Come, hobbitses," Gollum kept saying. "Very close now." 

After a mighty climb, we finally reached the top, and seemed to be on a cliff over looking what reminded me of a very large army base. The evil enemy's army base, I reminded myself, we're the secret agents on a mission behind the enemy lines. 

"The black gate of Mordor," Gollum announced and he shuddered. "Master says to show him the way into Mordor, and good Smeagol does so, just like Master said." 

Frodo swallowed hard, fear and the power of the ring suddenly seemed much greater. "Yes...yes, I did..." 

"Oh save us," Sam whispered. "What my old Gaffer would say to us if he could see us now." 

I studied what was in front of us, armored orcs were patrolling the gate and the top of the wall. Lots of movement, then shouting in the dark tongue. 

"What's going on?" Frodo questioned. 

From where we were crouched I lay on my stomach and inched my way closer to the edge. "Get down," I whispered and motioned my companions closer. I pointed down the rocky road leading toward the gate. "There. It's a foreign army coming to fight for Sauron." Almost as if to verify what I had said, war horns rang through the air. 

"Hey, look...the gate's opening," Sam said. And sure enough, the gate was being opened for the army to pass on through. He moved closer toward the edge. "I think I can see a way down..." 

"No!" I whispered sharply and pulled him back. He gave me an odd look. "Your way down isn't stable. You would have fallen for sure," I explained. 

**_ Frodo nodded grimly and peered over trying to study the gate once more, slowly inching his way closer and closer to the edge. He had to get down there. The last of the troops were passing through, the gate's doors wouldn't stay open for much longer. He looked back at Sam and I. _**

"I do not ask for you guys to come with me," he said. He turned back around and tried to go down but Gollum grabbed Frodo and yanked him back. 

"No, Master!" he said, "They catch you! Don't take it to him! He wants the Precious, always he is looking for it, and the Precious is wanting to go back to him. We mustn't let him have it!" Gollum seemed on the edge of hysteria, which was a little unnerving to say the least. 

If Frodo had even heard a word that Gollum had said, he didn't try to show it. He only tried to make a mad dash again, but this time I held him back. 

"Frodo..." The gate finally shut and he leaned back and sighed in defeat. 

"Why did you stop me?" he asked softly. I stared into his bright blue eyes. 

"It wasn't meant to be," I replied simply. "There's another way." 

"There's another way?" Sam questioned. Gollum looked surprised but nodded. 

"Yes, yes, a secret, a dark way," he said. 

Sam gave me another odd look before he turned his suspicious gaze toward Gollum and asked, "Why haven't you spoken of this before?" 

"Because Master did not ask!" he defended. 

Frodo went over to Sam to hold him back if necessary. I went up to Gollum and looked him in the eyes. 

"Is this secret way safe?" I asked. 

"Yes, yes, very safe. There's a pass, and then some stairs, and then...a tunnel," he explained. 

Of course, I said to myself, what did I expect him to say? Oh, yeah, and by the way, on our way through the tunnel we have to stop and stay for dinner with an old friend of mine...I shook the disturbing thought away. 

**_ "He's up to something," Sam said eying Gollum darkly. "I'm sure of it." _**

"He's led us this far, Sam," Frodo said confidently. "And he's been true to his word." 

"Mr. Frodo..." Sam looked at him with pleading eyes, which Frodo ignored. 

"Lead the way, Smeagol," Frodo said causing Gollum to grin. 

"Good Smeagol always helps," he said happily and started to crawl back down from our perch. 

Great, the 'tunnel' as the rabid - thing - liked to put it. It was just about the only part of the journey that I truly feared greatly. I could only stare at the black gate for many moments, before my body actually allowed me to move downward after my companions. And as I did so, I couldn't help but think to myself, What the fuck have we gotten ourselves into? 

**_ A few days later, and now somewhat further away from Mordor (though it was still hard to sleep with the evil that just seemed to be seeping out of the city). _**

I was starting to feel at a loss. Frodo was recoiling more and more each day, snapping at us randomly. But he would always, it seemed, that he would almost snap out of whatever trance he was in and apologize for his actions. 

Sam and Gollum was completely a different story. Sam trusted Gollum as much as he did an orc, and didn't bother trying to hide it. He would always call Gollum names and was practically going out of his way just to show how much he disliked our guide. Though Gollum's reactions didn't help. He would always sneer and make sarcastic comments and remarks in return. I probably would have laughed at them before, but the fact that they did it constantly, and that I was tired and stressed out prevented it. 

**_ We decided to take a rest, our feet were sore and they were blistering. I took a seat in a small alcove we had managed to find and pulled the Jewel of Nestad out of my pocket. I held it against my feet and smiled when I felt a pleasant tingling sensation as the pain subsided. I heard Sam and Frodo arguing, and I looked up at the scene. _**

"Why do you do that?" Frodo questioned. 

"Do what?" Sam asked a little too innocently. 

"Call him names, run him down all the time," Frodo replied gesturing to Gollum, who was off hunting food for himself. 

"It's only what he deserves, Mr. Frodo," Sam started to explain. "He's all lies and deceit. It's the Ring he truly wants, and that's all he's after." 

"You have no idea what it did to him, what it's still doing to him, Sam," Frodo said. "I want to help him." 

"Why?" Sam questioned. 

"Because I have to believe that he can come back," he replied simply. 

I got up from where I was sitting and put a gentle hand on Frodo's arm. "He had it for way too long," I said softly. "You can't save him, Frodo." 

"What do you know about it? Nothing!" he snapped angrily in reply, causing me to jump back and recoil away from him abruptly. Many moments passed in silence, Sam watching his master slowly come back to his right state of mind. 

"I'm sorry, Kate," he said slowly and exhaled a long sigh. "I don't know why I said that." His bright blue eyes bore into mine, shining with fear, sadness, and now regret. He let out a small, forced, uneasy laugh. "Of course you know what it's like, what I'm going through. You know about everything that's going on and what's going to happen in this war." 

Sam gave out a startled, "What!" He looked between the two of us with a puzzled gaze. "What are you talking about, Mr. Frodo? You're not making any sense. That's impossible! How would Kat know what was going to happen?" he looked at Frodo worriedly. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?" 

I let out a sigh and pressed my hands on my face hard, as if doing so would release the pressure and stress that was boiling on the inside. Much to my disappointment, it didn't. "I'm so sorry, Sam," I said softly. "I guess I should have told you this sooner, but I was afraid of what the consequences would be if I did." 

I didn't look up at him, but I could almost feel his questioning gaze. "I do know what's going to happen. I've known this war was coming since I first met you and Frodo." 

"How?" Sam asked. I lifted my eyes to look at him. 

"You do know why Lauren and I had been living with Frodo and dear old Bilbo, don't you?" 

He nodded. "Aye, you were lost and far away from home. But what does that have to do with anything?" 

"Everything. My sister and I had lived in a much different place," I said. "Let's just say where we once came from Middle Earth wasn't suppose to exist. It was just a made up place that a fantasy story took place." 

Sam looked taken aback. "...Er, ...I don't know what to say or if I can even believe that." 

I nodded solemnly in understanding. "You don't have to say anything, Sam. And I would understand completely if you don't believe me." I sighed and smiled sadly. "All I can say now is that Frodo has to fight back against the evil of the Ring. That and if I hadn't stopped you from trying to go down to the black gate a few days ago, Sam, you would have taken a stumble down that rocky cliff and risked us of getting caught." 

**_ Without waiting for either of their reactions, I turned and made my way back to the alcove to rest like I had first intended to. The Jewel of Nestad was still in my hand, which I hadn't even noticed it was until now. It felt slippery against my now sweaty palms. I smiled grimly as I watched the rays of the dim sun reflect off of the small silver rock. I only wished that it could take away the pressure and stress in my head like it did the physical pain. _**

**_ Lauren smiled as she felt the sun's warmth on her skin. Despite her aching body, she twirled around in circles, excited. They had been in the forest for god-only-knows-how-long, and between the overgrown trees that had made somewhat of a ceiling, and the dark skies that had been looming over their heads, it was a pleasure to see the sun's face. They had followed the stream for some days, leading them up to a higher place in the forest where the tree's branches actually allowed sunlight through. _**

Merry watched Lauren amused as she spun around enjoying the sunlight. He loved watching her, and just then he noticed how beautiful she was. She realized he was staring at her and she stopped and looked at him. 

"What?" she asked. 

Merry snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of her voice. "Nothing," he answered, and turned his gaze over to where Pippin was seated, who was grinning at his friend's obvious infatuation. Merry sent him an irritated glare and took a bite out of his small share of lembas bread. 

A small breeze picked up and Merry looked towards the sky, watching the dark clouds move. "The wind's changing. It's going to cause the clouds to cover up the sun up once again." 

Pippin pouted. "Pity. This shaggy old forest looked so much different in the sunlight. I almost felt I liked the place." 

"Almost felt you liked the Forest! That's good! That's uncommonly kind of you," a deep, loud voice boomed. Lauren stopped mid-twirl and was looking (Relieved? Merry asked himself worried) at something directly behind her two companions. 

"Turn around, I wish to see your faces. I already have a feeling that I'm not going to like you three much, but let's not get hasty!" the voice boomed again and Pippin and Merry both felt a large hand force them around. What they saw they both weren't all entirely prepared to see. 

OOO

Rocky: Well, no matter how much trouble the hobbitses were, I have to say I'm gonna miss 'em. (wipes away tear and sends Pippin over to Rainbow Fish who asked so nicely) Please take care of him. Good luck to ya, you're gonna need it. :-) 

I already sent Frodo back to the Shire with a bunch of parting gifts (chocolate, Chunky Monkey ice cream, a copy of my Linkin Park cd, and some gummy bears for Sam's kids Elanor and Goldilocks). 

I miss them already...(sigh). 

Please review! 

**-Rocky-**


	40. Chapter 40

_**Disclaimers**: See chapter 1. _

**Reviewers!**

Thanks to all my totally kick ass awesome reviewers from last chapter: **Janna Hawkins, Insane Child of the Night, ilfirin912, Elwen, SakuraRangerzGrl, Hobbit Babe, Moralinde, Kess, AppaloosasRock09876, Kleptomaniac Pirate, and the person posing as AppaloosasRock09876.__** (Grins) 

**Author's Note**: 

Sorry I didn't respond to all of you individually this post. I've been busy like hell lately, but I have been writing as much as I can in what little free time I have. Thanks guys for baring with me and for being understanding of why I haven't been around much. It truly means a lot to me. I have been making the chapters longer to (hopefully) make up for the long wait. 

** You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 40_

When Pippin and Merry turned around, what they saw they couldn't have possibly been prepared enough to see. A fourteen foot tree stood before them; and before they knew what was happening, two branch-like arms reached out and grabbed them with large leafy hands. 

Merry winced as wood jabbed into his side uncomfortably, then he remembered that Lauren was still on the ground. "Run!" he yelled. 

Lauren could hear Merry and then Pippin shouting at her, telling her to run for it, just leave them there. She could only tune them out. Seeing the ent just gave her a wave of reassurance and set her stress level lower a few notches. 

"Treebeard?" she called. The ent seemed surprised. _'Hey, I think I would be too if a complete stranger just yelled my name.'_ Lauren wished she could see her friend's reactions, but since they were too far away she couldn't. 

"Hrum, hoom," Treebeard murmured. "This is odd, very puzzling and odd indeed." He scooped her up with one of his hands and Lauren found herself being squeezed tightly against one of her companions. 

"Are you mad!" she heard the voice of Merry whisper panicked in her ear. She blushed deeply when she realized she was being squeezed right up against him. When Treebeard brought the hand all the way back up, he laid his hand out, palm facing up, so they could have a little room. 

"Do not be hasty, that is my motto. But if I had seen you before I had heard your voices - nice little voices, they remind me of something I can't remember - if I had seen you before I heard you I probably would have stepped on you, taking you for little orcs, and found out my mistake afterwards. You are very odd indeed!" 

Pippin, though still amazed and surprised, was no longer afraid. Looking up into the tree's eyes, he could see wisdom and memories of many ages stored into the deep and penetrating brown eyes, now mixed with curiosity as he looked down upon the three hobbits. 

"Please, who are you, and what are you?" Pippin asked. 

The tree sighed. "I am a bit surprised of that question since your lady friend already knows my name. But since you must inquire, I am an Ent, or that's what they call me. I am called Fangorn but Treebeard will do." 

Merry and Pippin both blinked in surprise. They had both been so scared that they hadn't realized that what Lauren shouted was the tree's name. They looked at Lauren for an explanation, and she was wringing her hands up nervously in her dirty and much worn and torn sweatshirt. She decided to ignore their questioning looks, planning on explaining everything to them later. 

"Treebeard, I know you must be wondering what we are. We're called hobbits," Lauren said. 

"I have never heard of a hobbit before," Treebeard said thoughtfully. "Then you do not seem to have been on the old lists that I learned when I was young. But that was a long, long time ago and they have made new lists since." 

"I know what list you're speaking of, and we're not on it," Lauren said, but Treebeard didn't seem to hear her. He was too wrapped up in his own thoughts. 

"Roomty toom tum. How did it go? Toom tum, toom tum. It was a long list. But anyway you do not seem to fit anywhere!" 

"That's because we're not on it," Lauren said. 

"Why don't we make a new line?" Pippin asked. "How about _Half-grown hobbits, the hole-dwellers_. We would go right underneath the original four Big Peoples." 

"Where the hell did that come from, PIp? You actually sounded like you had a half of a brain," Lauren commented. Pippin rolled his eyes and huffed. 

"But hobbits have been around for a long time," Merry said quickly before an argument could erupt. "It just seems that we've always been left out of the old songs and stories." 

"Rum tittity tum. Why is that? If you've been around for quite some time you must have been in mentioned in some sort of remembrance," Treebeard said. 

"Us hobbits usually keep to ourselves and our little country and not get involved with the affairs the men and elves," Lauren explained, "Usually anyway." 

"And why would you be away from your country, Little Hole-Dwellers?" Treebeard questioned. 

"Classified," Lauren said simply, doing a 'zipping her lip' motion. "But, I was wondering if you have seen a friend of ours recently... a very old friend of yours as well if I'm not mistaken. The white wizard." 

At hearing that, Pippin and Merry both made identical faces, both clearly saying, "What the fuck?" 

"Rum tum, rum tum. No, no, the white wizard Saruman is no friend of mine anymore. Cutting down trees he is, evil work being done at his bidding. Tum toom tum. A dark cloud hangs over the city of Isengard. He is no longer a wizard of white... he has been stained." 

"I wasn't speaking of Saruman," Lauren paused and could only manage to whisper, "You haven't seen him yet." She held her head in her hands. "Damn it! What are we to do now?" 

Treebeard decided it was best if he brought them to his home ("One of his many", he had said). So here they were, sitting on top of a huge table with their feet dangling off of the edge. They had been given food and water, and over their meal Treebeard had told them the story of the Entwives (which Pippin was still confused over how they "lost" them in the first place). Lauren smiled as she recalled what had happened earlier. 

_"It had been a long time since we've had any Entings - children you would say. You see, we lost the Entwives," Treebeard said sadly. _

"Oh, how sad!" Pippin said. "How did they all die?" 

"Die? I never said they died. I said we lost them, and that is exactly what happened," Treebeard explained. 

"Okay, so how did you lose_ all the Entwives?" Pippin asked. _

"That I do not remember, I'm afraid. It has been such a long time since it happened," Treebeard said sounding sad once more. 

It was late now, Treebeard had gone outside to sleep in the rain and had given the hobbits permission to use his bed. But Lauren was far from sleepy. She still sat with her legs dangling over the edge of the table, swinging them around, her mind in far off thoughts of when she and Kat were younger. To be honest, she missed her older sister terribly. 

_Come on, Lil' Sis! You gotta move it, ya slow poke!" Kate laughed with her best friend Jill as they swerved in and out of people in the crowded amusement park. _

They could barely hear Lauren over the large crowd of people. "Hey! It's not my fault you guys had a head start!" 

Kat and Jill reached the line for the ferris wheel and started doing a victory dance. Lauren came trailing behind panting and grumbling. 

"Why such the long face?" Jill asked while trying to hold her hair down from blowing in the wind, without success. 

"You cheated!" 

"Pirate!" Jill and Kate said smugly in union and started laughing once more after high-fiving each other. 

"You guys are unbelievable," Lauren muttered, then her eyes widened in shock after she realized what she had said. "Wow, that's scary, that's something you would say, Kat." She started twitching. 

"Yeah, what is it with you guys today? It's like you switched bodies or something. First Kat is all hyper and then Lauren actually uses one of Kat's favorite lines used against her all the time," she eyed the sisters skeptically. "It's gotta be a conspiracy! I swear it!" 

"Nah, it's only that Lauren hasn't had enough sugar and I've gone and had too much," Kat giggled. 

"Kodak moment!" Jill said happily as she pulled out a disposable camera. 

"Hell yes!" Lauren said and lunged for the camera. 

"Ahh, now there's the Lauren we all know and love," Jill commented, receiving a snort in return. 

"Hey, dude!" Lauren tapped some guy on the shoulder that happened to be standing near them. The guy turned around and happened to look about their age, had dark curly hair, and bright blue eyes. She grinned and held the camera out to him. "Care to do me a favor and snap a shot of my friends and I?" 

"Lauren?" Pippin's voice brought her out of her memories. "Um, we were just wondering... " 

"What that was all about earlier, you knowing Treebeard's name and such," Merry finished. 

Lauren sighed and looked down to where her feet were dangling off of the table, then past it to the floor far below. _'I wonder if the drop from this high would be enough to kill me?'_

She laughed softly. "Now I know what Kat must have felt like back in Lorien." 

Merry cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean by that?" 

"Stressed out," she answered while she rubbed her temples. 

"About what?" Pippin asked. 

"It's complicated." 

Merry reached out and grabbed her chin, gently, and turned her face toward him. "You can tell us anything, you know. We'll understand." 

"Yeah, that's what family's for," Pippin said with a smile. Lauren and Merry both turned to him with eyebrows raised. "What? We practically are," he explained with a shrug. 

Lauren chuckled. "Leave it to you Pip to make any situation not so bad as we first thought." She reached over and ruffled his hair playfully, making his scowl. "That's why we love you, and we hate you." 

"And that would make you hate me because... ?" 

"Not all situations should be taken lightly," she shook her head. "Damn it, I'm starting to sound like Kat." 

"I'm taking it this is one of those situations?" Merry questioned. 

Lauren nodded in reply. "You have no idea." 

"Try me." 

"Us," Pippin corrected. 

Merry waved him off. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, Pip." 

Pippin crossed his armed and pouted. "I'm starting to feel very unloved over here!" 

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Alright, but I don't know what the consequences are gonna be because of it." She closed her eyes to steady herself. "I'mnotfromMiddleEarth," she said quickly and in one breath. 

Both of her companions gave her odd looks. "What did you say? We couldn't understand a word you said," Pippin said. 

_'Damn it, this is harder than I thought it was gonna be,' _Lauren thought to herself. "Okay, um, but you guys have to promise that you're gonna believe every word I say and not tell anyone, not a soul. Got it?" 

Her friends nodded silently. 

"Alright, I'm not from Middle Earth. And where I use to come from didn't believe Middle Earth or anyone from it existed; that it was just a fairy tale bedtime story that some old dude wrote based on his experiences in W.W.II. Crock of shit if you ask me. But I don't remember the books much, just the movies for the most part, but even my memory on that has gotten a little fuzzy over the past five years... that and I never saw the third movie cuz we had gotten transported here before it came out in the theaters." 

Merry bit his lip in thought. "Hold on, I couldn't understand half the things you said but I think I got the gist of it... so you're from this other place that thought Middle Earth was made up, and there were books and mofies about what exactly? And what is a mofie?" 

Lauren chuckled. "It's called a movie, and it shows moving pictures that tell a story. Now, you see, there were books and movies that told the story of the War of the Ring," she pointed to the ground, "This War that we find ourselves in now against Sauron." 

"So you know what's going to happen?" Pippin asked. 

"Yes and no," Lauren replied. "Even though I read the books, I never really was into reading anyway, so I understood it it's just that so many things happened I can't remember everything. The movies are easier to remember but the third and final movie hadn't come out before Kat and I got transported to the Shire," she explained. "Good thing Kat's with Frodo and Sam. She loved everything that had to do with the Lord of the Rings. She was so much more into the books than I ever was, you could ask her one question and she'd spend a good half-hour explaining every little detail." 

Merry and Pippin sat silent for many moments, taking in all the unbelievable information they had just heard. She sounded just a tad bit crazy - _'Just a tad bit,'_ Merry thought to himself, _'Perhaps this journey has effected her mentally?'_ - but they had promised they would believe her, or pretend to at least. 

But the more and more they thought about it, the more and more it made sense. Random things that they had said or done since Bilbo's and Frodo's last birthday party... 

_ "Yeah, you can just kiss it, cuz you're not getting a piece of any hobbit here tonight! Hell yeah! Woo!" The Wraith quickly turned and bolted up back up to the road, joining a whole fleet of black riders. Lauren's smile faded fast. "Oh, shit." _

"What? Did you forget that there is nine of them or something during the middle of your victory celebration?" Kat mocked. 

"Kinda..." 

Pippin could remember how none of the hobbits seemed to have trusted Strider except for the two sisters. "You guys have got to learn how to trust our better judgment," Lauren had commented. 

"Better judgment, my ass," Kate muttered under her breath, "How about knowledge of what's gonna come to pass?" 

Now that they both thought back on it, it was a wonder how no one had questioned it before. Or maybe someone had? 

"Have you told anyone else?" Pippin asked. 

"Well, I haven't told anyone but you guys. Kat had told Frodo while we were in Lorien... I guess she slipped up when Galadriel had her look into her mirror or something. I'm not really sure about how that worked out. And I'm pretty sure Gandalf knows something, then again he does have a nasty habit of knowing just about everything anyways." 

Merry and Pippin both made the same awkward face when she said that. 

"You have no idea how true you are on that," Merry commented. 

Lauren rose an eyebrow. "Um...okay. What happened?" 

"Believe me, you don't wanna know." 

OOO

Please review! 

** -Rocky-**


	41. Chapter 41

_**Disclaimers**: I own nothing except for Kate, Lauren, and Jill. _

**Reviewers!**

AppaloosasRock09876: lol. Hey Kayla! waves Thankies, girl! And I hope to get more emails from you!

Insane Child of the Night: I didn't think I ended it with a cliffy, sorry if I got you disappointed though.

Elwen: Happy Birthday! How does it feel to now be an official teenager? Any different? Yeah, I didn't think so. lol. Thanks so much for all that commenting on that 1,000 comment entry. I need all the comments I can get, haha.

Ranger-Xion: Thanks for reviewing! I do hope that you wouldn't lie, lol. ;-)

Moralinde: Thankies, hun!

Archer of Darkness: lol. Pippin rocks! Haha. Yeah, I've been trying to incorperate the books more and more cuz I think it makes it a lil' more interesting. The movies really cut a lot of stuff out so it kinda shortens the writing horizon by going by them, if you know what I mean. Ooh! Pumpkin pie _and_ a smoothie! You are truly too great. Thank yas!

Callie: Er, I'm mad insane? Why thank you. Don't know if I should take that as a compliment or not, but I thank you anyways. :P Yes, I do love music, and I only put in songs that go with the chapters, but I have to disagree with you. I don't think it takes away from the story at all. Then again, I probably wouldn't put them in my story in the first place if I thought so. Thanks for your review! 

Hobbit Babe: Heya! Hope your computer is doing better. :-)

Kitza: Glad that you're enjoying my fic. Yes, I would have to agree, the beginning chapters in this fic are yucky, to say the least. (Covers eyes in shame) Oh, horror! The horror! lol. Though I am happy that you see the improvement in my writing. When I get to the end of this fic, I'm planning on going back to the beginning chappys and fixing them up. I usually do put the name of the song and the band/singer who wrote/preforms it unless I forget, but I usually do incluse it in the next chapter if I do forget. Thanks for your review!

lil-sis4556: Wow! 139 updates! lol. (Yes, I did count.) And here's your update:D

**Author's Notes:**

Hey guys! Sorry about the wait once again. But it couldn't be helped. I had a gym meet yesterday, so my training has been cutting into my writing time. (Then it didn't help that my mum had been making me go to bed early, therefor no late night writing sessions. Damn!) I also have another meet this week end, then the day after Christmas I'm going down to Pennsylvania for a week, so I probably won't have access to a computer while I'm down there. 

Hope you guys enjoy this chappy! 

**You're My Light in the Dark******

_Chapter 41 _

Sam rumaged through his pack and sighed heavily. He noticed Gollum was going off to where ever he sneaks off to. (Kate and Sam had decided to stop wondering what the hell he did whenever he ran off.) "Oi, Gollum!" he called to catch our guide's attention. Gollum turned around and gave Sam a suspicious look.

"Where are you going? Off hunting?" Sam asked. "Well, Stinker, you don't like our food and I believe I speak for the three of us when I say that it would be nice to have something a little different than bread for a change. Then I couldn't help but remember your new favorite motto: _Always ready to help.'_ That's where you come in. Can you find something eatible for a hungry hobbit?"

I shook my head in amusement from where I was seated next to Frodo, who lay asleep beside me.

"Perhaps. Smeagol is always ready to help, and will only help if they asks nicely," Gollum replied.

"Right," said Sam. "I does ask. And if that isn't nice enough, I begs," he said doing a perfect impersonation of our guide. I found it quite hard to hold back laughter - which I thankfully did. The Wrath of Smeagol isn't a pleasant thing, I knew that for a fact.

Gollum seemed satisfied enough with Sam's answer and went about his way, muttering to himself the whole time.

_She found herself in what looked like a dark and deserted rock tunnel that was covered in cobwebs and gave off a foul, rotting stench. _

_"Hello?" her voice sounded hollow and fearful a it echoed off the walls and back to her, almost sounding a bit mocking. She heard movement behind her and she whipped herself around, but she couldn't see anything. Not a damn thing. It was too dark. She turned back around. 'I'm just paranoid,' she told herself. 'I'm alone.' She was about to take a step forward, when she heard panicked voices coming from down the tunnel behind her, and halted. _

_"Noooooooooooooooo!" someone screamed. _

_Swallowing hard, she held a hand along the wall to keep her balance and fought her on growing fears by moving toward the voices. The wall was wet and sticky, and when she tripped along the rocky and uneven path of the tunnel, the wall did little to prevent her from slipping and she soon found herself tumbling downward. After a head-over-heels fall, she finally stopped and hit the bottom of the path (or so she hoped). There was a small light on the floor and she saw three little kids nearby, two boys and one girl. The girl lay motionless on the ground, one of the boys were at her side, tears running down his face. The other seemed out of breath and with a small sword covered in black blood, crawled over to his companions. _

_"Is she alright?" _

_"No..." the other boy whispered and choked a sob. He cradled the girl in his arms and brushed a strand of brown curly hair off of her dirty, but definately pale face. That face. It was so familiar. "She's so cold..." he said softly. __Loud grunts could be heard coming closer, and the two boys looked up in alarm as the small blood stained sword started to glow blue. _

_"Orcs!" _

_"What are we going to do?" asked the boy frantically as he held the girl closer to him tightly, protectively. "We can't just leave her here!" _

_The other boy looked torn as he glanced sadly at his two friends, visibly showing his inner battle of trying to keep his emotions under control. "She's dead-"_

Jillian Santos woke up with a start at three o'clock n the morning from a very weird, but very seemingly real dream. She sat upright, breathing heavily, and looked at her surroundings frantically. When she realized she wasn't in a dark, smelly cave and that she was back in her nice cozy bed, Jill scolded herself. She steadied her breathing and her heart rate calmed.

Jill leaned over and turned on the lamp on her nightstand. A picture next to the lamp caught her eye and she picked it up. She gazed at the photograph of her two best friends. The very same picture Jill held in her hands was on the news for the past month. They were sisters. The two missing sisters.

Jill had to speak with the police the evening before about the rather strange occurance that had happened yesterday at her gymnastics practice. Jill almost collided with Kate, one of the missing sisters, as she seemingly "magically appeared" right in front of her when she was running into a tumbling pass on floor. Then Kate had dragged Jill into the team's locker room and had claimed that she and her sister had been in the fantasy world of Middle Earth as hobbits for five years. The police had said they no longer thought that the Tamsin sisters had been kidnapped, especially after their questioning with May Tamsin, their mother, who claimed that the girl had fallen down the stairs and disappered into thin air. The police thought Jill simply hadn't seen Kate before she almost collided with her, and they believed that the mother was just delusional and hysterical about the whole ordeal.

"The Runaway Sisters", the news casters called them after the police's report.

Jill brushed her fingers along the edge of the frame, gazing at the photo lost in thought. She suddenly snapped out of her thoughts and found her gaze upon Kate's face. That's when realization hit her. "No way..." she thought outloud.

"What's wrong?" I questioned, seeing Sam's troubled face as he went through the things in his pack. I crawled over to where he was sitting, away from my seat next to Frodo's sleeping form.

"We're gettin' low on food... if we eat sparingly we'll have enough Lembas bread to last us for about another three weeks or so before we run out," Sam explained.

But they never ran out of food... wait, Faramir! Yes, didn't he give them food? Yeah, we should be alright... "Don't worry about it, Sam. We're gonna be fine."

He nodded slowly in reply, a frown forming on his lips, obviously not believing me. He gazed over at Frodo, a look of worry crossing his face once more. "I'm worried about him," Sam said. "This task is almost too much to bear. I'm afraid of what it has done to him, what it will do to him - if we even survive through this."

I sighed and nodded. If he only knew... "He's strong. It's all gonna be okay." I swallowed hard, my words not at all reflecting what I thought. _It's all gonna be okay..._ They were more for comfort than anything else, trying to convince myself that his fate will turn out better than what it's suppose to be. 

We heard muttering behind us and both Sam and I turned around to see Gollum dragging two rabbits along with him. "We catches rabbits, nice rabbits. Good Smeagol aways helps," he turned his hungry eyes away from his catch and looked over to Frodo's sleeping form. "Doesn't want rabbits now? Master has gone to sleep, perhaps Sam and Kats wants to be sleeping as well? We tries to help, but we can't catch things all in a minute."

"Oh, no, that's great, Smeagol," I got up and picked up the rabbits. "Thank you so much." No matter how much I can't stand the little weirdo, I was offically his biggest fan at the moment. He brought _real_ food, something we haven't tasted since we left the beautiful golden woods of Lorien. I actually smiled down at him, and he suddenly perked up and looked pleased with himself.

"Smeagol does good? Smeagol help?" he asked slowly.

"Yes, good Smeagol did a very awesome job. Thanks," I replied reassuringly. '_Perhaps if we tried to be a little nicer things won't get so bad,'_ I thought. Sam gave me an awkward look, practically yelling 'Not you too!'.

I sighed and laid the rabbits back on the ground. "Sam, can we use your pot?" He nodded in return, untied it from his pack and handed it to me. "Thanks." I turned to Gollum, "Can you do me another favor, Smeagol, and go fill these pans up with water?"

Gollum took the pan from my hands and eyed me slowly. "What do hobbitses need water for? They have drank, they have washed."

Sam suddenly perked up, finally figuring out what I had in mind. "Never you mind. If you can't figure it out for yourself you'll find out soon enough. Just go and fill up those pans," Sam said waving him off. Gollum huffed irritated, but turned to go do his task.

"Stinker," Sam muttered as soon as our guide was out of earshot.

"You have to give him credit, though. He caught us food," I said.

"I still don't trust 'em," Sam replied.

"Rightfully so, of course," I said in return, "I never have trusted him, and never will."

"Why does Mr. Frodo trust him so? Defending him and such?" he questioned and shook his head sadly. "That other day, when we had that fight, he's so different... like he's not even the same hobbit anymore... "

"We've all changed," I replied. "This has effected us all here in Middle Earth. But no one has been going through what Frodo has been dealing with, therefore, he has been effected the worst. The ring... is horrible. Evil. Whispering to him these lies... all the while his desire of wanting it is getting worse," I sighed and glanced over where Frodo lay asleep.

"When we first started this journey - no, even before that - when I first realized I had arrived in the Shire, I had planned to help Frodo through this quest. To try and protect him from the evil that I knew was bound to consume him," I continued. "I'm just afraid that I have failed."

Sam lifted my chin with one of his rough gardener's hands, making me look at him directly in the eyes. "You have helped him, Kat. Don't be so hard on yourself. He probably wouldn't have even made it this far without you."

"But that's the thing... he would have. I'm just an extra piece in the puzzle, so desprestely trying to work myself in... and I don't fit. I can't seem to figure out why I can't change things. He's still saying things he would if I wasn't here - from the influence of the ring, I mean. I had wanted to change that. Help him so he wouldn't be so... tainted... with evil."

"You have done more than enough, Kat, don't you worry about that. If anyone should have done more for Mr. Frodo it should have been me."

We heard ruggard coughing behind us, Sam retracted his hand from my face and we turned around to see Gollum having one of his usual coughing fits. When he finally calmed his body, he gave us both an evil grin and placed the water filled pots in front of him before scampering off once more.

Sam gave me a questioning look. "What was that all about?"

I shook my head in return. "I have no idea, but whatever he's all smiling about can't be good for us."

OOO 

Please review! Oh, and Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday wishes to all you guys:-) 

**-Rocky-**


	42. Chapter 42

_**Disclaimers**: I only own Kate, Lauren, and Jill. _

**Reviewers!!!**

Janna Hawkins: Thankies, hun. :) I do aim to please. Oh, and I got all the EEs as Christmas presents. That made me one very happy hobbit. (cough cough) Or at least I felt like one, anyways. 

Rohwen: You're welcome, hun. Glad you liked. Oh, and would you mind if I put those pics you sent me of Kat and Lauren (or probably the links to) on my info page? I find them kick ass awesome and I bet the other people reading this fic would like to see them as well. ;) 

Elwen: Yeah, we definitely think too much alike, lol. And sorry about my lj. I had to delete that journal because I kept on getting all these nasty messages from not-so-nice gymnasts. (When some of them I don't even know.) 

Insane Child of the Night: Haha, no, no, I haven't died. I've just been taking my time with writing my fics, I'd rather take my time and have it come out nice then fast and look like shit, ya know? Quality before speed. And sorry about the cliffies, lol. I just can't seem to help myself, haha. :) 

Archer of Darkness: Hope you survived through your lil' project there, lol. School in general is evil. They actually make you think and most of the time it's against your will. Those bastards! lol. 

Hobbit Babe: Thanks! I know! (jumps up and down) I couldn't wait until that came out! I loved it! Erik rocks my socks, dude! (spazes) 

Ash: Glad that you're reading again and that you like the Frodo/Kat thing. ;) 

Rainbow Fish: Wow! You went to New Zealand. I am mega jealous. lol. Jet-lagged and hyper... I can only imagine. hahaha. 

ilfirin912: Thankies, hun! :) 

Lava Angel: WOOT! (hugs Frodo to death) You shouldn't have! (Frodo's jumping on Rocky's bed while smoking the pipe weed) Thanks so much, hun! You rock! :D 

Auta Miqula Orqu: Thanks! Glad you enjoy it. :) 

Abby: (hands over cookie) Thanks, girl! See ya at gym tonight! 

Lana: No, no, my friend! We're not nearly finished yet! We still have a long, long ways to go! Glad you're liking it. 

**Author's Notes**: 

Hum. This chappy is more of a happier chapter. It was very fun to write. Pippin waking Lauren up was inspired by my experience during my vacation with my coach. Imagine me as Lauren and my coach's two year old son as Pippin. lmao. Couldn't help myself with that one. 

That is all from me. Hope you guys enjoy. 

** You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 42_

"Mornin', sleepyhead," I cooed as Frodo started to get up and stretch. 

"Morning, love, but I beg to differ since it isn't the morning," he murmured sleepily. 

I shook my head. "Oh silly, silly me. You're right, it's already mid-afternoon." 

Frodo smiled. "Did you get any sleep? You look tired," he commented and started to frown, his brow creasing with concern. 

"Some," I replied. 'As much as I could possibly get with Gollum's evil smile flashing in my mind every time I closed my eyes...' I thought bitterly to myself. 

"ACK!!!" our guide practically screeched. Frodo and I both turned to see Gollum flailing his arms about and cursing at Sam, who was seated in front of our small fire, preparing our dinner of rabbit stew. Sam gave us a grin and a small shrug. 

"Good ole' Sam," I commented and couldn't hold back my giggles. "The only guy I know that's able to drive the skitsafrenic one crazy." 

I received a questioning glance and a raised eyebrow from Frodo. I sighed and shook my head in return. "Never mind," I commented and looked away from the hurt and somewhat curious glances he was giving me. 

It was getting so hard. We were all wearisome and tired, of course making us crabby and irritable at times. Gollum wasn't helping much. Our guide was always picking arguments and disagreements with Sam and I - Sam more often than me. 

Then of course there was Frodo. I love him dearly, I truly do, but he makes me so frustrated at times. With each argument that occurs, Frodo always sticks up for Smeagol. Gollum kisses Frodo's ass, acting so sweet and innocent around him, and Frodo actually buys the rabid twit's acts. Of course he would, though. Gollum hasn't shown him any reason not to... so far. 

In Frodo's mind, he understands what Gollum went through with the ring - or, at least he thinks he does - and wants to help him. I know of this, because I have tried myself. I had tried being nicer to that foul creature, only to receive hateful words and an evil, twisted grin in return. There is no hope left for Smeagol. Frodo apparently has yet to figure that out and will learn the sad and bitter truth the hard way in the end. 

Or perhaps he has figured it out already, but is just caught in a web of denial and fear that the same cruel fate will befall him. 

I'm thinking it's the latter. 

"What is Sam doing?" Frodo inquired. "Smeagol is making a right fuss, and I don't see Sam doing anything wrong." 

"Well, that's because he's not doing anything wrong at all." I replied. "Sam's only making rabbit stew with the rabbits that he had asked Gollum to catch for us. He caught them a while ago, but since you were still sleeping, instead of roasting it, we decided to make it into a stew." 

"Hum, that sounds good," Frodo commented, then said with a frown, "Then what's Smeagol's problem?" 

"STUPID, FAT HOBBIT RUINS IT!!!!" Gollum screeched yet again. 

"What's there to ruin? There's hardly any meat on 'em," Sam replied smartly. He took a box out of his pocket, opened it up, took a small pinch of the contents and threw it in the stew before replacing the box where he had gotten it. Gollum reached for the already skinned rabbit that lay next to the fire. Sam reached over and swatted his prying hands away. 

"Quit it, you!" Sam said sternly, eyebrows lowered, his voice clearly stating his annoyance. "To each his own fashion. Raw coneys choke me as our bread chokes you. You give me a coney, and that coney's mine to do what I want with it. I want to cook it, so I will. You needn't watch me. Go catch another for yourself and eat it as you please, but out of my sight. That way none of us here will get sick watching you eat, and you won't have to see the fire or me cooking our food." 

Gollum drew back, frowning and grumbling to himself, most likely cursing Sam and all of us 'hobbitses' under his breath. Sam sighed, tired from the frequent sharp tongue arguments that he goes through every other five seconds in our guide's presence. He threw another pinch of seasoning into the stew, and frowned. 

"What's we need now is a few good taters," Sam commented to himself. 

"Taters? What's taters, precious?" Gollum asked, cocking his head to the side. 

Sam sighed heavily. "Po-Ta-Toes! You know, boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew!" 

Gollum scrunched his face up in disgust and spit at Sam before leaving angrily. Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head at Gollum's back. "He's hopeless," he muttered. 

Lauren awoke very unpleasantly the day after she, Merry, and Pippin had met Treebeard. She started to curl herself up into an even tighter ball than before as Pippin continued to jump on the bed around her head. 

"Get up, get up, GET UP!!" Pippin sang merrily, jumping higher and higher, almost landing on Lauren's head at one point. 

"Mruph" Lauren grumbled, shielding her precious head with her arms. "Cut it out, Pip! You're starting to make me nauseous." 

"Well, are you gonna get up, already?" he asked. 

Lauren voiced a string of insults and curses, all directed at Pippin, who only raised his eyebrows in an amused expression - which resulted in only making Lauren even more irritated when she finally did get herself up. 

"You..." she fumed as she pointed an angry finger at him, scowling. "Are an obnoxious jerk! Can't a girl manage to get _any_ sleep around here?" She poked him with a huff. 

"Absolutely," Pippin said holding his hands up in defense. "After you see our visitor, of course." 

Lauren raised an eyebrow. "We have a visitor?" Pippin smiled in response, and a few seconds later Lauren was found running out of Treebeard's house at top speed, a very large grin on her face - Pippin right on her tail. 

She ran down the path from Treebeard's house, feeling happier than she had in a long while. 'He's alright!' her mind screamed. She reached a clearing with a large arch between some trees, and in the middle of the clearing stood Merry, Treebeard, and as fate have it, Gandalf - now clad in white. She bolted through the arch, right at Gandalf, and gave him a tight hug around his legs - seeing as her height prevented her from giving him a normal hug. 

"Behold the power of the bleach!" Lauren said happily, "Haha!" 

The wizard looked down at her with a smile and gave her a light, if not awkward, pat on the back. "Well now, hello to you too, Miss Tamsin. Still in need of someone throwing you out of bed, I see," he said with a chuckle as she released him with a scowl. Treebeard, Pippin, and Merry laughed in amusement. 

"It was very nice to see you all, but alas, my visit isn't long, I'm afraid. More of a quick hello, is more like it, just a coming and going really," the wizard said. 

"But you just arrived!" Merry said, just a tad bit puzzled. "Where are you off to, and should we be coming with you?" 

Gandalf went over to him and patted Merry on the head (much to the hobbit's annoyment). "No, no, Mister Meriadoc. The Fellowship may be split, but that does not mean that it is broken. There are many wars brewing, you three are needed in other areas at the moment then where I am going, Merry." 

He glanced over at Lauren for second and whispered lowly so no one else could hear, "Be sure that you and Peregrin keep a watchful eye over her. She has knowledge with her that will surely get her killed if she finds herself in the enemy's hands." 

Merry nodded in reply and the wizard stepped away and looked upward toward Treebeard. "Now, Treebeard, my old friend, can I trust that you will keep the hobbits safe?" 

Treebeard smiled down at him. "Hrum, hoom. Of course, if that is what you wish, then keep them safe, I shall." 

Gandalf gave him a brief nod for a silent thank you. "Then all is said and done here. This is where my visit comes to it's end, my friends." He gave them all a smile. "May this not be our last meeting." And with that, the White Wizard turned and made his way out of the clearing and out of sight. 

Lauren smiled wryly and scoffed. "Those were some damn comforting last words that I've ever heard," she commented. 

"Alrighty then, the stew's finally done," Sam announced happily as he lifted his pot off of the fire and brought it over to where Frodo and I were resting. I sat up quickly from my makeshift bed (that has royally been consisting of my elven cloak for a blanket and my pack as a pillow) at this news. 

Though I don't know how much of a stew it actually is since there isn't any onions, carrots, or taters to be found. More like just a broth with herbs and meat," he paused and frowned, "And I don't have much for cutlery and such either, I lost all of it in my haste of getting my spare pan out during that battle in that dwarf's tomb in Moria, I'm afraid," Sam said. "So we're just going to have to make do with using our mugs or eating it right out of the pan." 

I leaned over toward my pack and retrieved two mugs out of it. I threw one to Frodo, who caught it off-guard, not expecting the sudden throw, and I held the other one out to Sam. I grinned and said, "I'll just slurp it out of my muggie, thankies, Mister Samwise." 

Both of my friends started laughing at the remark, making me glad that they were actually laughing, a very nice change from the miserable norm. "What are you guys laughing at?" I questioned in mock hurt. 

"Katesy, Katesy, Katesy," Frodo shook his head as he put a hand on my shoulder. 

I raised an eyebrow and eyed his hand in amusement. "Katesy?" I gave a light chuckle. 

Frodo rolled his eyes. "We were merely laughing at the fact that you are so properly unladylike, my dear Katesy." 

I couldn't hold back my laughter after I heard that response. I gave Frodo a playful shove to the shoulder, which I believe he rightfully deserved. "I was kidding, you imbeciles!" 

"That may be so, Miss Katesy," Sam replied with a grin, "But you're the one who sealed your own fate when you started bein' formal with me after we had already agreed on not being so." 

"I'm going to be stuck with that name now, aren't I?" 

"Most likely," Frodo said. 

"More like without a doubt," Sam corrected him. 

Frodo's smirk grew even wider as he said, "And what if Merry, Pippin, or even if your sister Lauren were to find out about it...?" 

I held my head in my hands. "I am so doomed." 


	43. Chapter 43

_**Disclaimers**: I own nothing of Tolkien's. Oh, yeah, and I don't own the Wizard of Oz either. _

**Author's Notes**: 

Hey guys! Sorry about the wait, but it couldn't be helped. A lot has been going on for me lately, so please understand that I've been doing the best I can. Plus, I've been aiming to write longer chapters than I did before. Replies to all you kick ass awesome reviewers are posted after the chapter since there was a whole bunch of ya that reviewed this time around. Keep those reviews coming, guys:) 

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 43_

Three hobbits, two lads and a lass, found themselves once again on top of Treebeard's shoulders, making their way through Fangorn Forest. The ent's long strides were numerous, Pippin had tried to count them to keep himself occupied, but lost count at around three thousand. And of course, being the impatient and hyper-active young hobbit that he was, already found that he was growing bored once more. 

He sighed dramatically. "Where are we going again?" he inquired. 

Lauren huffed. "We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz," she replied sarcastically, slightly irritated. This was only about the fifth time he had asked that question that morning. He cocked his head to the side, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Merry was looking at her in a similar manner. 

"Yeah," Lauren continued, "Because of all the wonderful things he does." 

"What kind of things?" Pippin questioned. 

"Oh, I dunno, perhaps he can get Merry a heart, give me some courage, and if he's the miracle worker he says he is, he might even be able to pull a brain out of his ass for ya, Pip," she chuckled. Her companions continued the odd looks, now with a mixture of hurt from both. "Oi, I was just kidding, guys. You guys just wouldn't get it." 

The rest of the journey all four were unusually silent (which the ent found odd, before he couldn't get them to shut up), with the exception of the ent himself, with his usual random ramblings of 'hum' and 'hrum'. The hobbits were plagued with their thoughts: Pippin was hurt because of the fact that everyone seemed to call him stupid all the time, Merry was confused over the whole 'heart' concept, and Lauren regretted even mentioning the Wizard of Oz in the first place. 

( / ) / 

A pair of big yellow eyes glowed from the darkness of its hiding spot in a thicket of bushes. They narrowed in envy as it spied on it's Master and his companions as they laughed and had themselves a good time. 

It was miserable all the time. Why were they so deserving of the happiness that they felt now? Especially when they were feasting on the rabbits it had caught! 

'But Master's our friend...' 

'You may think that Master is your friend, but you forget that he has the Precious and that he will leave us in the dirt for the fat one and for the girl... and where would poor Smeagol be then, eh?' 

It held its head in its hands. 'The Precious, the Precious... we must get it back!' It shook it's head as it looked back to the hobbits, who were now sipping their dinner out of mugs. 'But the fat one is always watching! And the girl is kind to poor Smeagol, but she knows things! We sees it in her eyes and feels it when she looks down upon us! We must be rids of them both! We won't be able to go close to the Precious with the those two hobbitses around.' 

'None of them can be trusted, Master included. Patience, my love, patience. We shall get the Precious back and we will be the happy ones once more...' 

The creature turned it's attention back to the hobbits once again, an evil gleam dancing merrily in it's eyes and a sick, twisted grin on it's face as it debated on all the nasty fates that could befall his Master's companions. 

( / ) / 

We had finished eating and had just gotten through cleaning up. Your stomachs were full, a very awkward feeling after having practically nothing in it for so long. 

Sam was tying his cooking gear back up to his pack and was stuffing seasoning into a pocket. Frodo took a seat beside me and sighed heavily, putting his arm around my shoulders as I leaned my head to the side to rest against his. 

"How much longer until the end?" he questioned. "Whether the end be for us or for the ring." 

"To answer your question, I believe we are now at somewhere in the middle, perhaps leaning toward the end of the quest. As for it being either our end or the ring's, that has yet to be decided," I said deep in thought. "Just because I know a story doesn't mean that things will go according to that plan. Some things have changed already, and I plan to make a few more if fate allows it," I added. Frodo nodded, weary and all signs of the happy hobbit earlier during dinner was gone. 

Sam stood up suddenly, looking around. "Did you guys hear that?" he questioned. 

Frodo's eyebrows furrowed together in concern, his body tensing up. "Hear what, Sam?" he asked in return. 

"It sounded like a whistle," Sam replied. That's when I heard it too, right after Sam had explained. A very faint whistle, that would be easily mistaken for a bird call if you weren't paying it any attention or if you didn't have very keen ears as we hobbits did. 

"And there's the reply," I said as I got up slowly, pulling Frodo up after me. "Our presence here is known, we're being watched." I pulled my pack on quickly and wrapped my elvish cloak about me. 

"Who's watching us? And where's Stinker gone off to? I knew he would betray us!" Sam said darkly as he and Frodo pulled on their own packs. 

Frodo sent him a warning glance and put a finger to his lips. "Hush!" he whispered. 

Suddenly, four men surrounded us. We kept close together, Sam and Frodo squishing me between them, their swords out. As I surveyed our situation, I noticed all the men were clad in greens and browns, two equipped with large bows almost the size as the big men themselves, the remaining two had their hands on the hilts of their mighty sized swords. 

"Well, now, what do we have here?" asked one of the men, surprised. 

"We have certainly not stumbled upon orcs, this is quite unexpected, indeed," said another. 

"Perhaps, then, we have found ourselves some Elves?" suggested the third, only to get shut down by the fourth man in their group. 

"No, I should think not," the fourth said. He was slightly taller than the rest, and seemed to have a certain air about him, like a figure of authority. He reminded me so much of Boromir. I sighed as memories came flooding back. "Elves do not walk in Ithilien these days. And Elves are astounding in grace and are fair to look upon, or so it is said," he continued. 

Sam gave an irritated huff. "Meaning we're not, I take you," he said and sent a scowl in the tall man's direction. "Why, thank you, you are truly too kind. Perhaps when you've finished discussing us you'll say who you are, and why you can't let our weary company have some peace." 

The man gave a forced laugh. "I am Faramir, Captain of Gondor," he said. "But there are no travelers around these parts except for servants of the Dark Tower, or of the White." 

"We are neither," Frodo said, "And we are travelers whatever Captain Faramir may say." 

"Then do be quick to explain yourselves and of your errand," Faramir said. "Where is the fourth in your company? And why, if I may be so bold to ask, do you have a woman accompanying you? It is very unusual to see women traveling in such a small group such as this." 

_'Well, at least he isn't glaring at me like his older brother did...'_ I thought to myself. 

"I do not know where the fourth in our group is," Frodo replied. "We came upon him by mere chance during the course of our journey. I have him under my care for only a short while. But as for us, we are Hobbits of the Shire, a country of the little folk that's far to the North and West. Frodo son of Drogo is my name, with me here is Samwise son of Hamfast, and... " he paused and looked at me. That's when I had realized that Lauren and I never really told anyone here in Middle Earth about our father. That was a trip down memory lane we were never really ready to share. 

"Katesey daughter of Adam," I said softly. 

Frodo gave me a small smile and continued. "Both are worthy hobbits and dear friends. We have come a long way, we set out from Rivendell, or Imladris as some call it, with eight other companions-" I interrupted him and put a hand on his shoulder. 

"I'm sorry, but I believe I have some news to be shared," I explained. Frodo nodded wordlessly and seemed afraid and almost anxious about what I had to say. I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself. 

"We set out from Rivendell with eight other companions. Three were hobbits like ourselves, a Dwarf, an Elf, the great Wizard Mithrandir, and also two Men. Aragorn son of Arathorn and Boromir son of Denethor," I said. 

"Boromir!" all four of the men exclaimed. 

"Yes, yes, Boromir, your High Warden... " I glanced at Faramir, "And your brother." Frodo and Sam were greatly confused and couldn't believe what they were hearing, but thankfully they decided not to question me about it until later. "Boromir has passed on, sadly. He was defending two of our hobbit companions and possibly my sister as well. He took three arrows to the chest before he fell. He died peacefully with the blessings from the leader of our once larger company." 

"You were friends of Boromir?" Faramir questioned, a stern look crossing his face as he talked about his older brother. I took a quick glance at Frodo and both of us nodded. 

"Yes, for our part," Frodo replied. 

One of the other three came forward and placed a hand on his Captain's shoulder and whispered something in his ear, Faramir nodding grimly in reply. He looked down upon us once more. 

"We have business at hand. These paths are dangerous, you wouldn't have gone very far this day," Faramir said. "I will leave two guard you, for your good as well as mine. If I shall return, I would very much like to speak with you more." And with that, he gave a couple short orders to his few men, and the four of them began on their way. 

"Farewell!" Frodo called after them. "Think what you will, my good Captain, but we are friends of any and all enemies of the One true Enemy!" 

The three of us found a shady spot of grass near another thicket of bushes. Sam and Frodo propped themselves up against their packs and I sprawled myself out on my back. I turned my head to the left and could barely make out the two guards Faramir had set up to keep an eye on us through the shade and cover of the over-grown shrubbery. 

I took the silver elvish stone out of the pocket of my now extremely dirty sweatshirt. I tossed it over to Sam, who used it and passed it on to Frodo, who smiled as the pain in his limbs numbed, before throwing the stone back to me. 

I sighed in relief as the aching in my legs and feet dulled. One would think that after months of walking your body would eventually become accustomed to it. As I looked between the three of us, we were not the same hobbits that had left the Shire. We were all lean and fit (well, okay, maybe a bit on the too thin side from lack of proper food), tired and sore, yes, but definitely stronger than we once were. 

There was silence between the three of us, to each our own thoughts. It was like a silent agreement, now was not the time to talk about what was on each of our minds. 

( / ) / 

A very unusual company: an elf, a man, and a dwarf, stood before an all too familiar old man in the middle of Fangorn Forest. The old man was cloaked in white, and leaned upon his white staff as he smiled (and was quite amused) by the three's baffled stares as they had finally figured out who he really was. 

"But you fell... " Aragorn stammered. 

"Yes," Gandalf nodded. "And fought with the demons of fire and shadow. After I felled my enemy my body had died and I traveled through the great beyond... " he paused. "But I was sent back," the wizard said simply. 

Tears were streaking down Gimli's cheeks even though his face wore the biggest smile. "Gandalf!" he cried. "Oh, how my eyes deceive me!" The wizard only patted the dwarf on the back with a smile in response. 

"Pippin, Lauren, and Merry were captured by orcs the day Frodo split from the fellowship. We've been tracking them since," Legolas informed Gandalf. "Have you an idea where they might be now?" 

"I might," Gandalf replied then continued with a smile. "I saw them myself just yesterday morning. I do believe your search is no longer necessary, they are in safe hands." 

Gimli shook his head, "Should have known with those little rascals we call hobbits." But even despite the dwarf's mutterings, he couldn't help but feel relieved at the good news. 

"What of Frodo, Sam, and Kate?" Aragorn questioned. "Have you any news about them?" 

"Nay, no news of the Ringbearer or of his companions," he answered. "A dark shadow looms over Emyn Muil and the lands beyond. I cannot see and dare not venture my sight out towards them. They're too close to Mordor for our aide." 

"It's all up to Frodo now, then?" Legolas asked. 

Gandalf paused before answering. "To an extent. There is still much to be revealed, and I feel we have a mighty gift on our side." Lauren's voice rang through his head. _Behold the power of the bleach!_

Aragorn shook his head. "There is still one thing that hasn't changed about you my friend: you still speak in riddles." 

The white wizard laughed. "I speak in riddles, eh? And all this time I thought I was just thinking aloud to myself." 

_**Reviewers!** _

Rohwen: Gilly-bean? Yuckers! That and I hope those kids are still pulling those Smurf jokes on ya still, or even worse, those orc ones. Eeepers! 

Elwen: Thankies, hun! 

Taylor: Heh heh heh, I'm still loving that name. She-Knows-All and Spiffy Duck shall strike again! Muahahaha! And yeah, Matei is such the little cutie. Gotta love him. 

Janna Hawkins: Yeah, that would just suck for Kate if the troublesome three just happened to find out about it... (evin grin) 

bbslilangel: Glad you liked. :) 

LadyAlariel: You're proud of me? I feel special. (grins) I really liked your idea, 'twas similar to something I have planned for later on in the fic, so you shall see what you had in mind somewhere in future chapters. Thanks for your imput:) 

Insane Child of the Night: Thanks, hun! I hope you did well in your concert. 

Hobbit Babe: Erik... (drools) lol. 

ilfirin912: Glad you liked that, hun. I was laughing my ass off when I was writing the end of the last chappy. I can't wait until your next update:) 

ArcherofDarkness: Yeah, I had the hardest time doing homework and gym when I was in public school. When I reached the higher levels (which involved more practice time and a lot less homework time) I had to start homeschooling. Though school sucks either way you do it. Y equals mx plus b and foil can just kiss my ass. lol. :P 

Aywenn the Fayre: Thankies, hun! Cool, you speak a "Gibberish" too? Have you ever heard of Ubby-Dubby? Cuz if your gibberish is similar to that then we're speaking the same "language", hun:) 

Auta Miqula Orqu: Heh heh heh, dark side, you ask? Why of course! (evil grin) 

Canadian Coco Chick: Chocolate kicks major assage! And I'm sorry about the gymnastics terminology. It really is like speaking a different language. 

xmnemosynex: Thankies:) 

Blinded One: Thankyas! Sorry that the points of views confused you. I just can't seem to get the breaks to show up, though. 

X2 Aeon Darkness IX: Thanks, hun! 


	44. Chapter 44

_**Disclaimers**: I don't own anything Tolkien's. I only own Kate and Lauren and my love for Lord of the Rings. _

**Author's Notes**: 

Okay, first off, I wanted to pimp two other fics here. One is Run, Duck and Cover by Rohwen Edhel, and the other is Mi Mancheraiby ilfirin912. You can find the links under my favorite stories folder. :) 

Now, this chappy is a long one. I had wicked fun writing the flashback. Lots of Frodo/Kat fluff. Well, by my standards anyway. I do hope that I'm getting better at it. 

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 44_

Horns rang through the air, ending the peaceful silence. "Are those war horns?" Sam questioned. Out of curiosity, the three of us crawled over into the thicket of bushes near the two guards that Faramir had set up to watch over us. As we got closer, the sounds of a steel on steel chaos got remarkably louder. 

"The Men of Harad," one of the guards growled, "Curse them!" 

"Aye, curse the Southrons!" the other replied darkly. 

We peered out and watched the battle, Faramir's men swarming the area, running down their enemies. Arrows were flying every which way, and suddenly a man fell from above our hiding spot, and I cried out in surprise as I braced myself for the impact. Much to my relief, I heard a _thud_ beside me a few seconds later. Breathing heavily, I lifted my head up from beneath the shielding of my arms to see a Southron face down with green and yellow feathered arrows protruding from it's back - just but a couple inches away from me. 

Frodo wrapped a comforting arm around me and frowned when he felt me shaking. "Are you alright, Kat?" he asked. 

I nodded. "Yeah," I replied slowly, trying to compose myself, "That just gave me quite a scare, that's all." We sat in silence for a few more moments, my heart rate thankfully going back down to a somewhat normal pace. 

"This is the first time that I've seen Men fight against other Men, and I don't like it much," Sam commented. 

"Besides the side of evil, who does? I think it's safe to say that not many find witnessing a bloodshed of any kind a pleasant experience," I said in return. Frodo nodded his agreement. 

"Aye," Sam said, "I couldn't agree with you more." An enormous gray figure then entered the battle, men from both sides fled away from it with the fear of being squished by the it's large feet. It tossed it's head about, great sharp tusks a dangerous weapon every time the creature dipped it's head down low. 

"Well, I'll be damned," Frodo whispered in awe. I chuckled at his reaction. It never ceased to amuse me that he would say certain things like that, telling me that he spent maybe a little too much time with Lauren and I. 

Sam's eyes grew wide and a grin broke out upon his face as he stared at the creature in wonder. "Would you look at that! No one back home is going to believe us! An oliphaunt!" he said excitedly. 

Frodo, not wanting a recurrence of the flying Southrin incident only to have it happen again with the enormous beast, he said, "Come on, let us move away. We have lingered here for too long I feel if we stay any longer that we'll be pressing our luck." 

I agreed whole-heartedly and nodded my enthusiasm, then proceeded to crawl out of our hiding spot after Frodo. Sam took a long last glance back at the oliphaunt, and with a sigh, followed after us. 

We went back over to our packs for a rest. Much to my annoyment, sleep was finding its way to me like it had with my two companions. I found myself thinking of how life was back in the Shire. How simple it had been there. My thoughts drifted to the times I had worked in the Green Dragon to cover for Rosie (Sam had finally gotten the nerve to ask her out) and how my friends had made my shifts quite interesting. I smiled as I remembered one of Merry and Pippin's many drinking contests - they all ended bad for the most part and this one was no exception. 

_ I stood behind the bar in the Green Dragon and was cleaning up a broken ale mug that some smart ass lad had decided to throw behind the counter when I had refused his offer of what hobbits call as "dates". He was drunk, of course, and most likely wouldn't even have any recollection of doing so, but it still gave me the right to give him a well deserved slap across the face and a good shove out of the door all the same. _

I bent down and started to pick up the larger pieces of glass and when I came back up, all I saw was Merry's cheery face as he leaned over the counter and said, "Hiya, Kat!" and nearly scaring the shit out of me. I jumped in surprise, and a piece of glass that I was holding sliced my hand, causing me to drop them all back on the floor again. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," he said. 

I gave a heavy sigh. "What do you need, Merry?" I asked grumpily and sucked on the cut. He laughed in response. 

"What? I need a reason to just come over and say hi?" he questioned. 

I raised in eyebrow skeptically. "All the times that I've been working here for Rosie, not once have you just come over to just say hi. Come on, now. I know you better than that," I said in return. 

"Well, I'm sorry I'm not more like Frodo who comes over all the time to 'check up on you'_," he said putting emphasis on the last four words and wriggled his eyebrows. I shook my head as I felt heat creep up onto my face, much to Merry's amusement. _

"Oi, Merry!" Pippin shouted from back at my friends' table. "Quit stallin''! I don't have all night to wait to kick your arse!" 

I put my hands on my hips and gave him a "Haha, I knew it" look. He flashed me a sheepish grin and a shrug in response. "Yeah, I thought so. I'll cover it this time but you're gonna owe me," I told him sternly. He nodded gratefully and hurried back over to the group's table. 

I stepped over the mess on the floor, grabbed a large tray, and started filling mugs from a flagon and loading the tray up. I spilled some ale all over my cut hand while filling up one of the mugs and gritted my teeth and cursed at the painful stinging sensation that followed. With the tray full with as many drinks that I could carry without dumping them, after two trips I had managed to set them all on my friends' table. Pippin and Merry both grabbed their share and put their drinks in front of them. 

This is gonna be hilarious," Lauren said and rubbed her hands together with a smirk. "Alright, any bets?" 

Lily raised her hand. "Pip, hands down." A murmur of agreement went through the group, myself included. 

Merry pouted. "Glad to see that everyone has so much confidence in me." 

Lily shrugged. "Sorry, Merry. But you know how hard it is to beat a Took." 

"Aye, good luck and may the gods have mercy upon you tomorrow," Frodo said raising his own mug. Lauren giggled at this. 

"Yeah," she said while eying the twenty some-odd large mugs divided in front of the two hobbits and shook her head, "Talk about major drop-dead hangover." 

I shook my head as well and whispered to Frodo, "This isn't gonna get too pretty." 

"Aye, not at all," he whispered back. "But who is to deny the entertainment when the two fools I call cousins are so willing? Besides," he said with a grin, "I have money on Pip." 

"Well, that's one bet you won't be losing too easily," I commented slightly puzzled. Who in their right mind would bet against a Took in a drinking contest? 

"Daddy BigFoot," he answered my question without me asking it. 

"Ah, well, that explains it. Never was the brightest, that one," I replied and watched as Merry and Pippin started downing their drinks as fast as they could. They were pretty much neck and neck till about the sixth drink when the Brandybuck started to show signs of slowing down. It was really quite disgusting to watch Pippin drink to this extent, it almost looked like he was immune to the alcohol that he was consuming since he wasn't yet showing any signs of it effecting him. 

"I better get back to work," I said, "Before any customers need anything and before I get sick watching them." Frodo nodded and when I turned away, he grabbed my arm and stopped me. 

What happened to your hand?" he questioned, indicating my cut. 

"Oh, it's nothing," I replied, shrugging it off. 

"Well," Frodo said and took my hand gently, "I do believe that this 'nothing' can get infected so... " he trailed off and retrieved his old handkerchief from out of his pocket and wrapped it around the cut, tying it in place. He brought my wrapped hand to his lips and kissed it. "There, all better." 

"Thanks," I said lightly, not trusting myself to say anything else as my stomach did back flips. Heck, screw the flips, it did a full fledged gymnastics floor routine. 

He gave me a smile, then much to my displeasure, a hobbit shouted, "Hey, Lass!" 

I rolled my eyes. "Duty calls," I said and shook my head again. I turned and made my way over to the hobbit who was sitting at the bar, all I could concentrate on the whole way was how my hand was burning where he had kissed it, even through the thin material. 'He isn't gonna make this any easier for me, is he?' I thought to myself. 'I just can't get involved. It's only gonna make it ten times worse in the end.' 

'But you can't deny how much you want it... ' a little voice teased. 'Better to love and be loved than not to have haved it at all.' 

I shook my head and went back behind the counter to wait on the already tipsy customer. 'Besides,' I reasoned with myself as I filled his fifth round, 'Who ever said he even liked me in that way? Sure, we're close, but who wouldn't be after spending all of your time together for four and a half years?' As I thought of how long Lauren and I had been in Middle Earth, a frightening thought came to my mind. 

'The War is almost upon us, would this be one of the last times we're all here together like this?' I gave the hobbit his drink and then some shouting caught my attention. I glanced over at my friends' table to see Merry standing unsteadily on top of it. An extremely red Frodo stood not too far off. 

"And - hic - he thinks that she's - hic - so adorable when she gives him -hic - this smile... " he said hiccuping then shouted at me, "Hey, Kat, would you like - hic - to give us a demonstration?" 

It was then my turn to have my face turn a lovely shade of bright red as the attention of everyone in the whole pub was on me. I quickly ducked behind the counter away from everyone's sight, embarrassed to no end. 

"Okay, that's it," I heard Lauren say. I then heard someone laughing, followed by a large **WHACK!** The laughing ceased. "Merry, you're so past wasted it's pathetic, get your ass off that table now," she snapped then muttered, "I'm surprised you're still standing, never mind making a complete dick head out of yourself." 

" - hic- Come on, Babe, - hic - I was- " 

**THUD!**

I heard something being dragged along the floor, the front doors opening then closing, then silence. Someone climbed over the counter and I sensed them take a seat beside me. 

"I'm sorry," I heard Frodo say. I lifted my head up from its position in my hands and saw him still flushed. 

I shook my head. "No, it's okay, you don't have any reason to be sorry," I said. "I'm sure Lily and my sister are taking good care of the babbling idiot. Besides," I gave him a smile, "I think you make cute faces, too." 

I was startled form my memories by Faramir, who had returned from the battle with his men, all of them looking dirty and weary. He stood over Frodo and shook him lightly. 

"I'm sorry for waking you, Master Hobbit," Faramir said, "But I wish to speak with you before we move on." 

Frodo got up to his feet sleepily and I managed to flash him an encouraging smile before he was surrounded by men, all two to three hundred of them, as they set themselves around him in a sort of semi-circle with Faramir and Frodo in the middle. 

"If you would be so kind to tell us of your journey thus far from Rivendell, Frodo son of Drogo," Captain Faramir addressed him. 

"I don't know of the passing of the time exactly," Frodo began, "For it has seemed so long ago since the council. As I had said before, my two friends and myself departed from the Elvish Haven with eight other companions of various races, your brother among them." 

Frodo went on explaining his part in the company (yet always veering the story away from the Ring) and where our journey had taken us from our departure. Faramir was becoming visibly agitated at some parts, I was guessing that he knew that something was being kept from him and he was evidently not liking it all too much. I couldn't help but feel a great sensation of pride as I looked on at the way Frodo was handling the situation so well. 

"Are you being the Lady Halfling that is traveling with this fellow?" I heard a deep voice ask. I turned my attention from Frodo and Faramir over to an older Man that was standing not far from me. He took a few steps over and closed the small distance. 

I felt a protective hand on my shoulder as I heard Sam answer for me, "Aye, she is. I wouldn't be tryin' anythin' funny if I were you," he said with eyes full of distrust. 

The Man chuckled. "Nay, I mean no harm, just a wish to meet those who I thought were no more than a folktale. But I can see that harm will not come to you easily, Miss, in such determined company." Sam didn't back off, and with a shake of his head, the Man left us and walked back over to where he was standing before. 

"I don't trust them," Sam explained quickly. "Look at 'em, inquisiting Mister Frodo like at a trail of a prisoner. Strange, this is." 

I felt very grateful and a sense of a sibling bond between us. To me he was like the older brother I never had, and only just then did I realize it. "Thanks, Sam," I said with a smile. "And I don't blame you for not trusting them, they obviously aren't trusting us too much either," I commented as I turned my attention back to Frodo's conversation. 

"You claim your task involves that of Isildur's Bane, which Boromir had spoken of visions in his dreams involving it, the reason he set out for Rivendell in the first place. I wish to know more of it, for what concerns my brother concerns me. Had you this thing in keeping? It is hidden, you say; but is not that because you choose to hide it?" 

"No, it was not my choice," Frodo answered, "Simply because it does not belong to me, or any mortal; great or small. If any had the right to claim it I would say it would be Aragorn son of Arathorn, whom I named, the leader of our company from Moria to Rauros." 

"Indeed?" Faramir questioned. "Why this Aragorn and not Boromir, prince of the City that the sons of Elendil founded?" 

"Because Aragorn is descended in direct lineage, father to father, from Isildur Elendil's son himself. He bears the sword of Elendil," Frodo explained. Murmurs spread throughout the Men like wildfire at this news. 

"Perhaps," Faramir said, "That is a mighty claim that will have to be proven true." 

"Boromir was satisfied with that claim, and I'm sure if he were here with us today he would have gladly given you the answers that you seek. My part of the Company was known to him, as did all the others, for it was appointed to me by Elrond of Imladris himself before the whole Council. On that errand I came into this country, but it is not mine to reveal to any outside the Company. Yet those who claim to oppose the Enemy would do well not to hinder it." Frodo held his head high, his tone proud. Sam nodded in approval at Frodo's speech, turning to me with a smile. I gladly returned it. 

Faramir sighed, looking much older than he had moments before. "So, you say that your quest is an important one that must be done swift and in great secrecy. Yet even those who are against the Dark One must still be kept in the dark?" 

"I'm afraid so, valiant Captain of Gondor. Go back to your city and defend it, leave me to where my doom takes me," Frodo said. 

Faramir stared at him for long moments, his sturdy face gazing at the hobbit with an unreadable expression. "Come," the Man said at last, "Let us not delay any longer. It will be unsafe to travel these roads for some days. Though I think even if they were you wouldn't have gotten far for you are weary, and so are we. We are going to a secret place we have near here to rest, you with us. In the morning we will see what is in the best interest for the both of us." 

Faramir gave a few short orders to the Men, moving out and ready to go. Frodo made his way back over to Sam and me, and I threw my arms around his neck and gave him big hug. The Man that had tried to speak with me before passed by the three of us, and I could have sworn that I saw the slightest trace of a smile playing on his lips as he saw our arms around each other and Sam's still uneasy glance. 

_**a/n**: _

Alright, I just finished typing up all replies to all of you reviewers individually, then my program spazed out and quit on me, deleting all that I just did. fumes I wanna thank all you guys that reviewed. **DragonflyTears, X2 Aeon Darkness IX, Taylor, Mystical Full Moon Maiden, ArcherofDarkness and Callie, Janna Silver Hawkins, ShadowMcJ, Legolanderin, Insane Child of the Night, IwishChan, Elwen, Rohwen, bbslilangel, and Blinded One.** Thanks, guys! You rock! Please review:D 


	45. Chapter 45

**_Disclaimers_**: See chapter 1. 

**Author's Notes**: 

Sorry about the wait guys. I've been wicked busy lately between doctor appointments and being "sick" and such. Turns out I never really was sick, so to make a long story short, I had gotten injured in gymnastics a few months ago that made all the bones in my skull and neck shift, giving me headaches that wouldn't go away. This chapter is on the short side, some Lauren since a lot of you guys missed her last chapter and no Kat and Frodo at all, surprisingly. I felt the need to post this even though it's as short as it is, it's been a while since I had last updated. So here you go. 

OOO 

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 45_

Lauren sat by herself away from Merry and Pippin. They were in a large area, surrounded by slopes so they were in what looked like a large bowel. The Entmoot had begun, many different types of trees were there: oak, birch and many more that she surprisingly didn't care too much about at the moment. Normally, she would have been happy, bouncing around and wanting to get into the Moot. These were the kick ass walking trees! She was fascinated by them. But today she couldn't even find any good reason to be her normal, talkative, hyper, (and probably somewhat annoying) self. 

Merry and Pippin were upset with her. They hadn't spoken a word to her since she had made that comment about the Wizard of Oz earlier. And that was a few hours ago. This was probably her record of staying silent. Silence was not her thing. But today she somehow didn't mind it. 

She glanced over at where her two friends were sitting. Merry's back was to her and he and Pippin were talking in hushed voices. They weren't sitting that far away from her (Treebeard had told them to stay together) and it hurt that they didn't even want to be near her. Pippin looked up and their eyes locked for a second. He broke the contact quickly and continued to talk to Merry. 

With a sigh, Lauren turned her own back to them and felt a small tear run down her cheek. She didn't even bother to wipe it away and got up and decided to take a walk. She didn't care that she was going against exactly what Treebeard told them to do, but she couldn't help it. She had to distract herself somehow. 

OOO 

Merry had his back to Lauren. He couldn't believe what she had said about them! Of course he had a heart! After all, he loved _her_, didn't he? Love... where had that come from? This was all too confusing for him. They were in the middle of war, separated from the rest of their friends (the gods only knew what had become of them), and yet all he could think about was her and what she had said as her voice continued to ring throughout his head. 

_"Perhaps he can get Merry a heart, give me some courage, and if he's the miracle worker he says he is, he might even be able to pull a brain out of his ass for ya, Pip." _ Then Frodo's voice joined in as well; the conversation they had in Rivendell when he was having much fun bugging Frodo. The conversation played over and over again in his mind. 

_"Please tell me that you're planning on telling Kat that you love her,' he had said sternly. A blush creeped up on Frodo's cheeks at the comment. "Frodo?" Merry demanded. _

"Not exactly, no. I was planning on giving her a special goodbye and telling her that I cared about her. Love... is a really strong word." 

"Aye, it is. But you do love her, don't you?" 

Frodo turned an even deeper shade of red. "Yes," he whispered. 

"Then what are you waiting for?" Merry asked. Frodo shrugged. 

"Shouldn't I be asking you the same thing?" he asked. "It's not like you've told Lauren about your feelings." 

"What feelings are you talking about?" Merry questioned then started cracking up laughing. "Oh, that's good, real good. You thought... ha!" 

"And what, you don't?" 

"No actually. We're just friends." 

"Oh," Frodo said. "I'm sorry I assumed." 

Did everyone know he liked her or that he was in denial of it? He had tried to hold off his feelings for so long, but it seemed he couldn't keep it up anymore. He had always noticed things about Lauren that were different, her mannerisms and accent, the little things were the things that made her stand out in his mind and that he loved most about her. And now that she had told them about her not being from Middle Earth, he now understood why she had those traits and qualities. She was different, and he loved that. 

"What do you think Lauren meant when she that about us earlier?" Pippin asked, cutting into his train of thoughts. 

Merry shrugged. "I don't know, Pip, I just don't know." 

"She said something about us not understanding... do you think it had something to do with her old home?" 

"Possibly. But what if it wasn't?" Merry's shoulders sagged. Pippin crawled over to where Merry was sitting and put a comforting hand on his arm. 

"It's okay, Merry. I'm sure she meant nothing by it. I'm use to getting called stupid all the time, but for some reason that time hurt. But Lauren would never want to hurt us, or at least she never wanted to before." Pippin looked over to where Lauren was sitting, only to find the spot empty. His eyes widened, and he shook his friend urgently. "Merry, she's gone!" 

"What are you talking about? She-" he abruptly cut himself off when he turned around and saw that his cousin was right. He glanced around the area, finding no sign of her. "Where could she have gone?" he asked turning his attention back to Pippin. 

Pip shrugged in response. "Treebeard's going to kill us." 

OOO 

An unlikely group walked into a dimly lit hall. A ranger and an elf "aided" an old wizard as they made their way in, a stout dwarf right on their heels. The four of them were weaponless, except for the wizard who was using his staff as a walking stick. Mighty banners hung from the walls, bearing ancient figures and legends. 

At the end of the hall there was a large throne, an old man seated upon it. His clothes were of fine making and cloth, but his appearence was quite shocking. His graying blond hair and beard were untamed, his crown lost in the mess of tangles; his face a sickly shade of white, his eyes empty and lifeless. At his side stood a short man, his dark hair hanging limply and in his pale face, dark eyes looking over the guests in distrust and loathing. 

"Hail, Theoden son of Thengel!" Gandalf the White bowed his head slightly, showing respect to the king of Rohan. "I have returned, for a storm comes this way, and all friends should unite, lest they each be singly destroyed." 

The pale man whispered in the king's ear while the wizard addressed him. "He's a herald of woe. He's not to be trusted." The king nodded slowly at the words from his adviser and turned his attention to the guests. 

"Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stromcrow?" Theoden asked in a hoarse voice. 

"You speak justly, my lord," the advisor said nodding his agreement. "Not five days ago was your dear son Theodred slain upon the West Marshes, and there is so little trust in Eomer. And we have also received news from Gondor of the Dark Lord stirring in the East. At such an hour does this wanderer choose to return. Lathspell I name you; ill-news. And ill-news is an ill-guest, so they say." Grima gave a grim laugh at his comment. 

Gandalf gave the man an angry glare. "Be silent! Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crude words with a witless worm." He stepped in front of the rest of his companions and Grima's laughter died on his lips as the wizard lifted his staff and pointed it in his face. 

"His staff! You fools, I told you to take the wizard's staff!" his face was one of panic, and he quickly backed away and into a corner. 

The room quickly became much darker as the light shining in through the windows disappeared. The sky outside grew dark, lightning flashed and a roll of thunder shook the room. Gandalf seemed to glow in an eerie white light, holding his staff high. "Do you ask for help, Lord of the Mark? Not all is dark. Take what counsel I can give, for you shall find no better. Come out and look out upon your country. For far too long have you sat in the shadows and taken and trusted the advice and twisted tales from a lapdog of evil." 

A young woman ran into the hall and up to the king. She helped him up and aided him toward the doors. During this, Grima tried to sneak away, only to be caught by Gimli's watchful eye. The dwarf took the man down, and put a booted foot square on his chest, his mighty axe at the man's neck. "I don't think it would be wise to try and move, if I were you," Gimli said darkly. 

The doors of the hall opened, and Gandalf said, "Leave him with me, my lady. I will care for him." 

The king removed his arm from the slender woman's grasp. "Go, Eowyn, my niece! The time for fear has passed." Her golden hair blew in the wind, and with a reluctant nod, she complied and turned back to the house, leaving the man and the wizard alone. 

As she walked back through the hall to get back to her quarters, she passed Mithrandir's three companions. She stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, as she studied these new comers. The dwarf was with her uncle's adviser (whom she was repulsed at by the mere thought of the snake) and he was holding the worm captive at the end of his weapon. Serves the vile man right, she thought. She turned her attention over to the other two companions, the elf and a man. They were conversing with one another in a different and beautiful language, and she found herself wishing that she could actually understand what was being said. The man must have sensed her eyes on him, for he turned and glanced over in her direction. She bowed her head slightly at him before leaving the doorway and continuing on to her quarters, the whole way not being able to get the man's gray eyes and attractive face out of her head. 

OOO 

Major thankies to all my fantabulous reviewers from last chappy: ** X2 Aeon Darkness IX, SilverTearz, Voldie on Varsity Track, xmnemosynex, Janna Silver Hawkins, Rohwen Edhel, Hobbit Babe, Insane Child of the Night, ArcherofDarkness and Callie, She Knows All, Blinded One, Mystical Full Moon Maiden, CelticPuzzleStrangerRangerGrl, bbslilangel, and of course **_(how the hell did I forget? I'm so sorry 'bout that, I swear my head isn't right lately... )_** Elwen.** _You guys kick ass and make my day with all of your reviews. Seriously. I end up on a review high and bouncing around the house. So, please keep those reviews coming guys:D _

Also, feel free to email me anytime. I love meeting new people. My email is crazzymonkey 2889 at yahoo . com. (Without the spaces.) 

**-Rocky-**


	46. Chapter 46

_**Disclaimers:** See chapter 1. _

I'm very sorry to all those who I forgot to mention in my reviewer list. bows I love all you guys, so cookies for all! throws batch in the air like confetti Alrighty, nice long chapter this time, to make up for last. Also, the last bit is in Frodo's POV instead of being Kat's. Hope you guys enjoy.

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 46_

Frodo, Sam, and myself were walking along a trail blindfolded, being helped along by a couple of Faramir's men. We were picked up at one point and carried downward, then I could feel the heat of the sun on my face no longer. We heard water rushing all around and felt water dripping on us. We were put down, the stone floor now beneath our bare feet had a chill to it.

We stood still like that for many moments, uncomfortable and unsure of what to do. I had an idea of where we were, but not being able to see was starting to irritate me.

I heard someone's heavy foot steps enter behind us. "Let them see!" Faramir said. The scarves covering our eyes were untied, and we found that we were standing in a dark cave of polished stone. To the left there was a large window, a thin layer of falling water acted as a curtain, the setting sun shone upon it causing it to cast off many different beautiful colors into the room.

"Window of the Sunset, Henneth Annun, fairest of the falls of Ithilien. Few strangers have ever seen it," Faramir explained when he noticed we were looking around us in awe. He motioned for us to follow him, and he lead us into another room. Once our eyes grew accustomed to the dark, we saw we were in another room made of stone. It was large, and many of the men were already there, others arriving still through the small doorway we had just came through.

"Well, here is our refuge," Faramir said holding out his hands and motioning to the area, "Not very charming, of course, but it's a safe place during the night hours. There may be food, but it allows no fire, I'm afraid." He took us to a corner in the back of the room where a few small cots were set up. "I leave you to rest before the evening meal; you must be weary, I'm sure." He left soon after with our grateful thanks.

I slid my pack from my shoulders and fell upon a cot, sighing heavily. "What now, Mister Frodo?" Sam questioned as he sat himself on his own cot, "Do you really think that we can trust these Men?" His gaze shifted over to me as well.

"They have been kind and gracious enough so far; they haven't given me any reason not to trust them. However, if what we have learned today is true, if Boromir has truly... passed... " Frodo turned to me as well, "Then it could very well be that we are the last of the Company and the secret of it is now only ours to tell."

I gave a defeated sigh when I realized they were expecting an explination of the speech I had given Faramir earlier. "Is it really true, then?" Sam asked impatiently, the worry in his voice and in the expression on his face was enough to smother me, "Are they truly... " he trailed off not able to even say it aloud.

"I don't know," I replied honestly. They both blanched in union.

"What are you talking about?" Sam questioned quickly in a small voice. "I thought you said- "

"I only know what was meant to happen!" I got to my feet as I shouted the reply. "Nothing is certain anymore, don't you understand that? We've changed things; I've changed things!"

I took in a deep breath and bit my lip when I realized that I blew up and had let the fear and doubts that I've been carrying the whole journey get the better of me. I noticed that I drew the attention of some of the Men that were close to us; and when they saw that I was finished with my tyrade they went back to their appointed duties without a second thought. Both Frodo and Sam were eying me warily, afraid lest they say something that would cause me to start yelling my head off again. I sat myself back down on the small cot that was made up for me and didn't speak for many moments so I could calm my nerves and collect my thoughts.

"I'm sorry," I apologized at last, "I don't know what came over me." I reached up and pulled the old, stretched out scrunchie out of place and my hair fell in dirty tangles around my shoulders. I propped my elbow up against my knee and rested my head in my hand. "You guys have got to understand, I only know what was originally meant to happen and of the changes I have made. I'm not a psychic. I don't know what my sister is up to, of the changes she has made if she has at all or if even we have done something unintentionally." I squeezed my eyes shut against a new terrifying thought that entered my mind. "Eru help us if we make a mistake that causes a chain of events that will eventually destroy us all."

Tears rolled down my cheeks as my emotions engulfed me to a point that was unbearable. I layed myself down on the cot and turned my back to them, wishing to speak of it no more. "But what was originally suppose to happen?" Sam pressed gently, "You can still tell us that, can you not?"

I sniffed and snuggled deeper into the warmth of the blanket beneath me. "No," I said in response. "I cannot say. I will only take risks when they are necessary. You will find out their fate in time, no sooner than you were intended to."

Frodo put a hand on Sam's shoulder and shook his head lightly. "Don't press her, Sam. She's under enough stress as it is... we all are. Get some sleep, Sam."

Sam sighed. "I know, Mister Frodo. I couldn't help it. I'm just worried about them, is all. I'm sorry." The sandy-haired hobbit pulled his elvish cloak around him more firmly before laying himself down on his cot.

"I know, Sam, I know."

* * *

"Lauren!" 

"Lauren!"

Merry and Pippin had come across a trail, and decided to look for their missing friend up that way since they had no idea where else to start. They trail was windy and went up on an incline. Pippin leaned against a tree for support, his face flushed and his breathing labored.

"We had better find her soon! This hike is going to be the death of me!" Pippin complained. The tall tree he was leaning against groaned angrily.

Merry rolled his eyes. "It probably will be if the trees don't get you first." He grabbed his cousin by the arm, pulling him along.

When the pair finally reached the end of the trial, they found themselves on the edge of a high ridge; the view of the surrounding lands and countries were gorgious. Lauren was there, sitting with her back propped up against a tree and looking out upon the lands. They approached her hesitantly. Her dark blond hair was falling out of its pony tail and her bangs were getting long and were parted to keep from falling in her eyes. A slight breeze picked up, sending her curls off her face and blowing into the wind. Her eyes scanned the view before her; she appeared to be deep in thought, her lips moving silently as she calculated something in her head. She didn't even notice them approach.

"Lauren?" Merry questioned softly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. She jumped and and snapped her head in their direction in surprise. She sighed and visibly relaxed when she realized who it was. She turned her gaze back to the land and was quiet for a few moments before she finally decided to speak.

"I'm sorry," she hung her head, "Just forget I ever said that, if you can. It was just one of the many stupid comments I've made. I didn't mean anything by it."

Merry and Pippin glanced at one another before sitting down beside her, Merry draping an arm over her shoulders. "Consider it forgetten," he said and placed a small kiss on her cheek. Lauren blushed at the action, which quickly faded as her thoughts turned to the pressing matters she was contemplating before they joined her. Pippin followed her gaze and saw the large black line that was moving across the lands.

"What's that?" Pippin asked.

Merry squinted. "Why, that looks like an army!"

"That's because it is," Lauren commented blandly, "It's going out from Isenguard." She pointed her finger out and traced a route out in the air. "They're headed that way there, toward toward what I'm guessing is that horse country. Though it's probably going to be some days till they get there."

Merry and Pippin blanched. "The war, it's already going to start? So soon?" Pippin asked, eyes wide. Lauren nodded in return.

Merry's eyes shifted over the large black form. "How many are there?" he dared to ask.

Lauren paused before she answered. "I'm not sure," she said, biting her lip. "It's getting harder and harder to remember the small details such as this. It's an even number though... " she snapped her fingers after a moment of thought, "Two? No, no, that can't be it... not nearly big enough... ten! That's it; ten thousand!"

"Ten... thousand?" Pippin nearly squeaked, "That's insane!"

"No kidding... " she replied as a memory of so long ago came back to her.

Jill, Kat, and Lauren watched the movie on the big movie screen at the front of the theater; Lauren rocking back in forth in her seat, causing it to squeak, much to the irritation of the people seated around her.

Jill elbowed her. "Will you sit still?" she hissed. Lauren grinned evilly and shrugged.

"I dunno," she said still rocking back and forth, "That depends how much candy you're going to buy me on the way out." Jill glared at her.

Kat sushed them both and pointed at the screen. "Look at Sarmoron's orc army! Massive, isn't it?"

Lauren eyed the screen as the scene changed to show Aragorn pushing the heavy doors of Helms Deep open. "What army? I missed it. Jillian here," she pointed an accusing finger in Jill's direction, "Distracted me. Damn it, I'm going to fail Kat's test later on."

"Test?" Jill inquired, pushing Lauren's finger out of her face.

"Yeah, she always tests me to make sure I pay attention."

"Shut up!" Kat muttered. "I'm not going to be able to test you if I can't hear it!"

Lauren huffed, "Fine, fine," she rolled her eyes and started to watch the movie again.

"Ten thousand strong at least." Aragorn told King Theoden on the screen.

"Ten thousand?" Theoden questioned in alarm.

Aragorn nodded. "It's an army bred for a single purpose: to destroy the world of Men."

Lauren felt a tear roll down her cheek. "Are you alright?" Merry asked as he noticed her wipe it away.

"I miss Kat. And I just hope they're going to be alright. All of them."

Pippin nodded his agreement. "Us too, Lauren, us too."

* * *

Frodo sat up and rose from his cot. It wasn't any use, he couldn't sleep even if he wanted to. He was getting less and less sleep lately, and the sparse moments when he actually did were filled with horrible images and nightmares of fire, pain, and death. He glanced over at Sam's sleeping form; his chest rose and fell regularly and a hint of a snore followed every breath. He was glad Sam was asleep; he has this slightly annoying habit of knowing every little thing he did. Such as not being able to sleep as of late. If Sam was awake, he probably would have aleady talked him into going back to just lay down. 

He took a seat on the edge of the cot Kat was sleeping on. He brushed her hair off her face and sighed deeply. _'How much longer is this going to go on?'_ he thought to himself, _'How much more pain are we going to have to go through before the end?'_

He ran his fingers down her cheek as he looked down sadly upon her. The whole journey she had been there for him; in the beginning he hadn't known why, but the reasoning became clear to him in Lothlorien. She had cracked earlier, completely broken down. That outburst was so unlike her; it worried him. It was all becoming too much. _'Sam and I are worried about what we know not, yet the one I love is distressed from knowing too much.' _He snorted at the irony of it. Either way, it seemed, could not make the situation any easier on them.

All of a sudden, Frodo got struck with such a longing of wanting to be back at Bad End and the Shire. He hadn't really thought of home, only the possible doom that lay before them. Kat had helped him immensly since they parted from the rest of the Fellowship; he had much faith in her knowledge of what was to happen, almost as if the fact of her knowledge had given him the strength and courage to go on. He trusted her with his life, and trusted that she would lead them in the right direction. Yet now that Kat had revealed her fears of what could happen, how things might not go according to what she knows is suppose to occur; it was something he hadn't previously thought of, and frankly, didn't exactly like the sound of it.

Oh, how he wished they were away from all of this; back in Bag End, sitting in the study as they often had before bed. He could picture her in the large fitting short-sleeved shirt and comfortable, baggy pants she had use to wear to sleep, curled up in an arm chair and reading by the fire, the flames casting an orange-y glow about her features as he use to pull up a chair by her and do the same. How he had loved those times.

Frodo started at the touch of Kat's hand upon his. "What's wrong?" she questioned softly. Her own hand grasping his, intwining their fingers.

"What isn't?" he commented in response and leaned down so his forhead was leaning against hers. "Are you alright? I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine, it's nothing I can't get over by myself. Not that I have a choice in the matter anyway."

"I understand that you're worried about what's going to happen, love, but don't forget that I am too. You shouldn't put so much pressure on yourself," Frodo said. He was surprised when he saw the corners of her mouth tug up into a small grin.

"Well, of course I do, Mister Baggins, it's hard work saving your butt, you know," she said making a joke out of her reply.

He looked into her blue/grey eyes and wondered what knowledge lay behind them, and couldn't help but notice how the walls hiding her true emotions were up again as she leaned in and gave him a small kiss before pulling him down on the cot with her. He wrapped his arm around her and held her close to his chest, wondering what lay before them that could be so bad that fear of something worse happening would tear those walls down.

* * *

_Loads of thanks to my reviewers:D _

_(Yeah, and if I forget anyone this time just come running after me with a pitch fork... psh)_

_**Janna Silver Hawkins, Shadowed Child of Flames, Thrae Elddim, bbslilangel, Mystical Full Moon Maiden, Insane Child of the Night, Elwen of the Valar, Rohwen Edhel, and xmnemosynex.**_


	47. Chapter 47

_**Disclaimer:** Lord of the Rings ain't mine. Period._

_**Author's Note:**_

_Hey all everybody! I hope everyone has had a pleasant and relaxing summer so far. I hope this chapter came out okay; I've been having the worst writer's block lately, and then to top it off, my head has been starting to bother me greatly again. So if it's a bit off, those are the reasons. Hope it's still came out alright and that you guys like. _

_Hehe, and I just noticed I said the word "hope" over and over again, and that I've said it probably at least once in every other a/n since chapter one. Heh, I guess I shall have to fix that bad habit and get a new vocabulary. :P_

* * *

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 47_

Pippin, Merry, and Lauren watched the Entmoot from the sidelines. Lauren had dragged them back down to where the Moot was being held, and Merry and Pippin had only gotten slightly afraid as she pulled them along with a grin on her face while she was muttering some nonsense about, "Kick ass walking trees," or something along those lines.

"I wonder if the Ents will be able to do anything about Isenguard?" Pippin asked thoughtfully, observing the old trees as they murmured to each other with many _"Hooms", "Hums"_ and _"Toom Tums"_.

Merry sat up intently and you could almost see the gears turning his head. "I don't know. From what I have heard about the place it doesn't seem as somewhere the Ents would tackle. But then again, I have a weird feeling about them... somehow I don't think they are quite as safe and, well, funny as they seem. They appear slow, queer, and patient; and yet I believe they _could_ be roused."

Lauren nodded and grinned, a faraway look on her face. "Downright scary, they are when they're roused. You should have seen it - the whole lot of 'em pissed off at something, I don't remember what, and there was a large march! They were awesome, caused complete chaos!" Her grin fell and she suddenly looked guilty as she saw Merry and Pippin's smirks. "Oh, whoops; I shouldn't have said that." She gave a shrug of indifference. "Getting harder and harder not to slip up anymore. But I doubt I gave away much of anything right then, anyways."

Pippin frowned. "What's so bad about us knowing? That's what I don't get."

Merry nodded his agreement. "It would certainly make you remember everything a bit easier by telling us, wouldn't it?"

"It's not good to know too much about your own future, or so I've heard," Lauren explained with a wave of her hand. "Besides, that's all I need - the Green Dragon's two loudest known drunks in the whole Shire knowing the future of Middle Earth. Kat would kill me." She rolled her eyes, "And so would Gandalf," she added as an afterthought.

They both sat up straight at the accusation. "Hey!" Pippin gave her a poke on her good shoulder, "We haven't had a drink since, since... "

"Lothlorien!" Merry offered, quite put out at realizing it had been that long. "And you can't even count it, all those elves had was wine!"

"Honestly, who doesn't brew ale?" Pippin huffed. "They're way too uptight, those elves, way too uptight for my liking."

Merry nodded his agreement, "Yes, yes, couldn't agree with you more, Pip. They need to unwind. And there's no better way of doing that than getting a tad bit tinkered."

"And wine just doesn't do the trick, now does it?" Pippin commented. The two of them shook their heads in union; and although glad at the distraction from the previous topic, Lauren had to shake her head at the conversation.

"No, no it doesn't."

"Not nearly strong enough, ale is."

"No, not nearly. There's nothing like the Shire's brew, of course," Merry said as he sat back and folded his arms behind his head, leaning against them as a pillow. "But then again, I doubt the elves could actually _get_ too drunk anyways, if you get my meaning."

The three chuckled and eventually fell silent. Lauren busied herself with tending to her still-somewhat-sore shoulder from where she had gotten hit with the arrow. The wound itself was looking better, it had closed up nicely and such. Besides that area being a little bit bruised, it was feeling pretty good. Lauren looked up from her task to find Pippin no longer with them. Alarmed, she stuffed the Nestad jewel back in the zipper-up pocket of her sweatshirt and looked around.

"Merry, where'd your Took of a cousin go?"

Merry, who had just started to fall asleep, opened his eyes and yawned, blinking sleepily. "Hmm?" he questioned and propped himself on his elbows.

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Pip - he's gone. And I thought we all agreed on staying together... damn Took... "

* * *

I felt myself being shaken gently. 

"Kat... "

I groaned, only half awake, "No... five more minutes... " and wiggled myself deeper into the warmth of the bed and blankets. I regretted my actions a few seconds later when I started to get tickled, making me giggle madly and thus waking me up fully. I looked up and saw it was Frodo who had woken me up so rudely.

"As much as I love to watch you sleep, you have to get up now - I'm losing the feeling it my arm," he said. Only when I rolled over to get a better view of him to give him a proper questioning look did I notice that I had, in fact, somehow in the duration of our nap, gotten a top of it. I grinned sheepishly as he rubbed the feeling back into his poor arm, grimacing every once and a while at the pins and needles.

"Besides," Sam added, "Dinner's almost ready." I turned my attention over to him, seeing that he was busy dunking his head in a basin and splashing the cold water on his face, trying to clean off at least some of the grime that's collected there over the course of our journey and perhaps even wake himself up a bit in the process. He still looked exhausted, though.

The Man who had brought the basin of water eyed Sam's actions both amazed and amused. He looked familiar somehow, with graying dark hair and warm brown eyes. Oh, right, we had seen him earlier. He had tried to talk to us during Frodo's talk with Faramir.

"Is it custom in your land to wash the head before supper?" the Man asked.

"No," replied Sam, "Usually just before breakfast. But it helps when one is running on lack of sleep. Perhaps now I will be able to stay awake long enough to eat a bit."

The Man nodded then gave us a smile and motioned us to follow him. "All set and awake? Well, come along, then! The three of you must be dreadfully hungry."

He turned and started to make his way across the room, and exchanging glances between each other, Frodo, Sam, and I hurried to catch up with him - but walked behind him a ways as to still follow him, but so that he would not be able to hear our conversation.

"Did you catch any sleep, Sam?" I asked as we walked. He shook his sandy-colored head in the negative. "Couldn't sleep, or wouldn't?"

He shrugged and wiped his wet face on his cloak. "A bit of both, I suppose."

"Still don't trust them?"

He gave me another shrug. "At first I couldn't get a wink and then, next thing I know, you two were already snug and snorin'... "

I felt my face redden and Frodo grinned but rolled his eyes, already knowing his friend's excuse for his insomnia.

"Well, someone had to keep an eye out... just in case," Sam said in his defense at seeing Frodo's eye roll.

"Sam, you need your sleep just as much as we do," Frodo said exasperated, "Besides, I doubt Faramir would have taken us here and offered us his hospitality if he wanted to harm us."

Sam grinned sheepishly. "Hey, you never know."

* * *

"This is getting old," Merry muttered. He quickly scrambled up from his resting place and hurried after Lauren as she dashed deeper into the forest and away from the Moot, looking for the third in their group. 

"Pippin!" he heard Lauren shout, "Where in the hell are you!"

Thankfully a reply followed. "I'm over here!" They both ran in the direction they thought it came from, and they soon found him sitting on a bunch of tree roots near a small stream, and drinking the water from it with cupped hands.

"What do you think you're doing?" Merry asked. "I was busy sleeping when you decided to scare us by running off."

Pippin flashed them a grin. "I got thirsty. Talking about all those drinks, you know... " He continued to slurp the water out of his hands and all of a sudden a loud groan sounded throughout the area. Lauren and Merry glanced around wildly in surprise.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Lauren cried, practically jumping on top of Merry at being startled.

Merry shook his head. "Good question," he remarked. Meanwhile, the noise hadn't seemed to phase Pippin in the least bit as he was still drinking his water quite calmly. A few seconds later the noise was heard again. "And there it is again!"

Pippin stood up and brushed the dirt off of his trousers. "Where's what again?" Lauren and Merry gaped at him. Another groan sounded and suddenly Pippin looked a tad bit different, but neither of them could point out what it was exactly.

"The noise that only scared the living crap out of us," Lauren replied slowly, her usual sarcasm there, but she was busy eyeing the Took warily.

Pippin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at her answer. "What noise?"

A groan again.

"That noise."

Pippin gave a shrug.

Merry went up to him and finally noticed what was different about him. "Wait... you're taller!"

"Than what?"

"Me!" Merry said, growing irritated.

Pippin rolled his eyes. "Merry, I've always been taller than you."

Merry frowned at that comment. "No, definitely not, Pip... everybody knows that I'm the tall one, you're the short one."

Lauren nodded her agreement. "It's true, you know."

Pippin crossed his arms over his chest and gave them both a pointed look. "Please, Merry. You're what? Three-foot-six? At the most? Whereas me, I'm pushing three-foot-seven."

Lauren giggled, causing Merry to glare at her. "No, no, I'm not laughing at you. It's just that it feels so weird hearing you guys boast about being three-feet-something tall," she grinned, "I myself use to be five-foot-four back in the day."

Pippin scowled. "You are to laughing at us."

"Alright, you caught me."

"Well, you're not so tall now, Tamsin, since we're both taller than you." Pippin puffed out his chest, which Lauren couldn't help herself and just had to give him a poke, laughing as she did so.

"That might be so, Took, but at least I hadn't needed to drink that tree-washy stuff in order to get that tall." She flashed a triumphant grin.

"Tree-washy stuff?" asked Merry, "What do you mean by that?"

Lauren ignored the hurt looks Pippin was sending her and replied, "Exactly as it sounds. Tree-washy stuff! It's something that the Ents drink, if I remember what Kat told me correctly."

Merry then dawned a bright, awestruck look as realization hit. "You were the one who was making the noise, Pip! You were talking tree-ish!" He then ran over to the stream and started drinking the ent wash as fast as he could. Pippin quickly tackled his cousin to prevent him from doing so, the two of them yelling and cursing at each other the whole while.

Lauren huffed and crossed her arms in irritation. "It's truly a wonder I haven't gone crazy yet," she muttered as she watched them wrestle. "Then again, at the moment I'm in a place that supposedly isn't real, now standing a mere three feet tall and have pointed ears, I have actually met walking, talking trees, and have just seen one of my best friends grow five or more inches in the matter of five minutes. Heh, well then, I guess my sanity is debatable after all."

* * *

Dinner was pleasant. They had made us make-shift seats out of barrels that had pelts stacked on top of them, which were made way higher than the other benches in the hall so we could reach the table. None of us three refused anything that was offered to us. Even our third helpings. The wine had make us feel at ease, which was welcome since we hadn't felt that way completely in such a long time. 

After we ate we had a pretty nice chat with Mister Captain of Gondor. He had wanted to hear stories of our journey - of his brother and of Gandalf, mostly. Faramir was most moved by the story of the fight on the bridge in Moria.

"It must have irked Boromir to run from orcs," Faramir commented, "Or even from the fell thing you named, the Balrog - even though he was the last to leave."

Sam and I nodded in agreement as Frodo replied, "I do not think Boromir would have fled if there hadn't been lesser folk to care for, Aragorn either, for that matter."

The conversation turned toward Gondor and it's history after that - Frodo had wanted to learn more about the country, so Faramir had went on about it for a long while. Once he fell silent on the topic, Sam finally got up the courage to speak up.

"You don't speak of elves much in all of those tales of yours, sir," he said. He had noted that Faramir seemed to speak of the elves with reverence, and this, even more than his courtesy, or his food and wine, had quieted all of his earlier suspicions of the guy.

"Well, that is because I am not learned in elvish lore, Master Samwise," Faramir explained. "And I envy that you were able to share words with the White Lady of the Wood."

"Ah, Galadriel!" Sam exclaimed. "You should see her, sir, honestly, you should." He then went on about a bunch of descriptions of her - I honestly couldn't tell you what was said after that, though, for I was already half-asleep...

"SAM!"

My eyes snapped open at Frodo's cry to see Sam looking awfully red in the face while Frodo looked horrified. Sam gulped and faced Faramir once more. "See here, Mister Faramir, sir - don't you go taking advantage of my master because his servant is nothing more than a fool."

The silence that followed was unbearable. Although I hadn't heard a word that was said, I could take a good guess from Frodo's outburst and Sam's last statement that it was nothing all too good.

"So, this is the answer to all the riddles," Faramir said slowly. "The Enemy's Ring... right here! In the hands of three halflings, out in the wilderness, with an army of men at my command." Yet Faramir did nothing, meaning that he made no move to tackle Frodo and rip the damn chain right off his little neck like was expected.

No, instead of everything else that would normally come to mind, the Captain of Gondor actually _laughed_. Then again, that might just be because Frodo and Sam only jumped a mile high when he spoke and they were now fumbling and trying to get their swords out - but were doing so without success.

"No, no, I am not such a man to try and take it from you. Either that or I am at least wise enough to know that there are some perils from which a man must flee."

At hearing those words my friends calmed down and sank back in their chairs. I had not moved during this whole ordeal, but breathed a heavy sigh of relief. At least it had not gone like it had in the movies - which I was afraid of happening.

Faramir comforted us by saying he had no desire for it and that he felt pity and respect for Frodo. Pity at having the great task, and respect for not not using "It".

"I believe you should go now and rest," Faramir said, "But tell me, if you will, where you wish to go and what to do. For I must watch, and wait, and think. In the morning we must each go our own appointed ways."

After a few moments Frodo replied softly, "We are headed toward the Mountain of Fire and must cast the thing in the fire of Doom itself."

Faramir could only stare as we bid him good night and made our way back to our cots.

* * *

_**Reviewers!** _

_Rohwen: Yes, a very hot assed punk. (winks) I shall email you tomorrow about what you sent me for MBV... or shall I now call it DwtS?_

_xmnemosynex: Fluff! (giggles) Whenever I say it or read it I get reminded of marshmallow fluff. Yum! Hehe. _

_Elwen Elenaranel: Yay! Thanks, hun! (beams) I shall see you around!_

_bbslilangel: Aww... hehe. (throws popcorn like confetti) The whole scenario of everything changing 'cause your there reminds me an awful lot of the Back to the Future trilogy. Damn, I love those movies._

_Insane Child of the Night: I heart Haldir too. But you shall have to wait and see! (whistles innocently) _

_Fk306 animelover: Thanks! ._

_Mystical Full Moon Maiden: I have the most fun writing Lauren. (The three of them together, really. I think they're just too damn cute.) She's one of my favorites as well. The whole smart ass attitude just does it for me... And about Jill ending up in ME... well, I dunno. We shall see where it goes as we go along, because to be honest with you, even I don't know about how everything will end up just yet. _

_Starsinmypocket: Dunno if that's the word or even if it is one period. (shrugs) But thankies anyway, She-Knows-All, the Wise and of many colors! lmao._

_aimee: Thank you!_

_Secret et ange Ange: Hey you! Nice to hear from you! Been wondering where you've been. I know what you mean about obsessions... it's like they come in phases... and yes, Phantom is totally kick ass! I have a thing for deformed, murderous psychopaths... (giggles) _

_ArcherofDarkness and Callie: Yes, we're getting toward the end of TTT. Scary. And about things changing... maybe there will, but then again, maybe not. We will see... (winks)_

_Janna Silver Hawkins: lmfao. Yes, I had a feeling someone would do that. Not that I blame you, of course. haha. :D_

_Amanda: Why, thank you! Way too much praise in that... made me feel all fuzzy. (beams)_

_

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_

_Woo! Thanks to all you who reviewed! You all know what I'm going to say next... but I'm not going to say it because I don't feel like being cliché at the moment. So, guess what I'm not going to say and if you guess right you get a cookie! (babbles to self) Oh, the trickery I play... ever so tricksy, precious..._

_-Rocky-_


	48. Chapter 48

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Lord of the Rings. Period._

_**Author's Note:**_

_Hey guys! Sorry about the lack of updates lately. I have lots of projects going on at the moment. (And speaking of which I shall do shameless pimping of my original fiction over at fictionpress just because I can. Yep yep. (grins)) Anyhoodles, just to let you guys know I haven't forgotten about this fic. I'm in the process of rewriting most of the beginning chapters, so be sure to check for those. The new first chapter is already up, and please take notice of the author's note there because it is important. Thanks for all of your reviews you guys, you all rule. Majorly. This chapter dedicated to Elwen for giving me the kick in the butt. :)_

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**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 48_

Lauren lay sprawled out on her back upon the grassy forest floor gazing up at what she could see of the starry sky between the gaps of the branchy, leafy forest roof. The Entmoot was still going strong; the faint groaning could be heard even though they were miles away.

The night before last the three of them had been introduced to one of the younger ents of the bunch, Quickbeam was his name. The name rang a bell, but Lauren couldn't recall where she had heard it. The books, perhaps? It seemed most likely. She regretted not reading the books more thoroughly back all those years ago while she had the chance, instead of skimming through them just to make her sister happy like she did. _'Ho, well,'_ she thought, _'no use kicking myself for it now.'_

She heaved a sigh and rolled onto her side. She could hear water trickling, and could actually see a little stream fall down into Quickbeam's house; which wasn't actually a house, but rather a large stone set upon roots and such. She could also hear the snores of her companions inside. They had drunk more of the tree washy water earlier; she could distinguish the snores from the groaning noises their bodies were making as they still continued to stretch. She snorted to herself. If they kept downing that tree washy stuff like their beloved ale they'll be six feet tall by the end of all this.

A deep and calm voice broke the peaceful silence of the mystical forest and nearly made Lauren jump a mile into the air in surprise. "Lady Little One is having many thoughts on her mind, hmm?"

Holding a hand to her chest, Lauren laughed meekly at herself; at her reaction to Quickbeam's question. She sat up and gave the ent a smile. Lauren took a particular liking to Quickbeam; she had a fondness for ents in general - well, more of a _fascination_, really - but she actually enjoyed his company. She found him an easy person, erm, ent to talk to. And the fact that it didn't take five minutes for him to say a simple hello was definitely a plus.

"I'm sorry, wha?" Lauren mumbled while flattening the back of her dark blonde hair, slightly disoriented from being drowsy but not being able to actually fall asleep.

Quickbeam chuckled, his large honey-colored eyes soft and his grey-green hair ruffled in the slight wind. "Troubled minds do not find sleep easily," he stated.

"No, I suppose not," she replied, a little more awake than before.

"Then what troubles you so, Lady Little One? You have been rolling around out here on the forest floor for quite some time now."

Lauren couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that statement. "You've been watching me?"

"Keeping an eye on you: that is what Treebeard has asked me to do, is it not?" was Quickbeam's response.

"I- um, but-"

The ent's smile grew at her lack of a coherent reply. Finding no use to fight it, Lauren sighed in threw her hands up in the air in defeat.

"Oi, damn smartass... " she muttered.

"You have evaded my question," Quickbeam cut in before she could continue to rant.

Lauren shrugged. "I've just been thinking about... things... " she said a bit lamely. Quickbeam gave her a nod of encouragement to continue. "I have a lot to think about, you see. I'm worried about my sister and how she is right this moment and if she's okay, and we've been away from home for so long I miss it, and then there's this whole 'Middle Earth being on the brink of destruction' thing that's been looming like a nasty stalker in the back of my head for months now.

"I mean, how can anything possibly turn out okay? I know what's going to bloody happen - well, for the most part if I haven't forgotten things, that is – and I just can't see everything going back to the way things were before after it all and it's just a scary thought because we've all changed so much and how can we go on with our lives like everything was always great and peachy? Because we can't, which sucks because just when Kat and I started a new life and we were actually happy for a change it's going to be gone just as quickly as we found ourselves plopped here."

She said it all practically in one breath; the thoughts she had bottled up kept on tumbling out of her mouth like she had no control over what she was saying. Was she finally losing her marbles? Probably. She hadn't really believed Kat when she said she would eventually. She is telling all of her problems and worries to a damn tree, after all.

Quickbeam looked down at her with a thoughtful expression. "For such a small creature, you seem to have many big burdens that involve much contemplation," the ent said, his words reflecting the wisdom of his years, even with being one of the younger ents.

Lauren scoffed. "Isn't that the biggest understatement of the century."

Quickbeam gave her another soft smile. "Why do you worry about a future that has yet to pass?"

Lauren was trying her best to stay calm and not lose her cool, but that question kind of irked her a bit. "Why? Well, why the hell not? Wars are brewing, first of all. I don't know about you, but I don't want to die any time soon. And if we fail, we're slaves to the lap dogs of evil just like that," she snapped her fingers as if to prove her point, "And we're practically as good as dead then."

"As good of a point that you may make on some aspects," Quickbeam replied, "Do you honestly believe that dying is failing?"

For the second time in less than ten minutes, the ent had rendered Lauren speechless.

"If you fight for the land and people that you love, the only thing you can give is your best, Lady Little One, nothing more and I highly doubt you would give anything less. You should not worry about the future, little hobbit, for it is out of your reach. You only have the present. Nothing in the future is for certain as of yet. Wait to worry about things as they come to you. But a little hope can make all the difference."

Quickbeam put out a large branchy hand and scooped her up into his grasp. "Come on inside, Lady Little One. It is late, or early depending on how you look at it, and I believe you will be needing your strength for when the sun rises."

* * *

_How has it come to this? We shouldn't even be here, yet we are. _

Frodo lay on his back upon his cot looking up at the rock ceiling. Sam continued to snore, and Kate shifted onto her side and sighed in her sleep.

_Do we even have a hope? A chance in hell on accomplishing this impossible task?_

The weight of the Ring seemed to become heavier and heavier every passing moment. In all honesty, Frodo was surprised it hadn't left an indent in his skin where it lay on his chest.

_No, probably not._

He pulled the chain out from under his shirt and traced his fingers over the edge of the Ring. The metal was cool under the pads of his fingers, and as he really examined it closer, he realized how tarnished and worn it looked. He turned his attention over to his friends; dear Sam was nearly hanging off his cot, snoring as usual. Kate was on her side facing him; her long, tangled brown hair was draped over her face, and was hugging her sweatshirt to her chest almost protectively.

He stuffed the Ring back under his shirt with a sigh. _If only the Ring had been destroyed all those years ago._ "Damn Isildur," he muttered to himself before sleep finally took him.

* * *

_So nice, so cool. _

_I was swimming in a pool of water under a beautiful starry sky. I crawled out of the water onto black rocks before diving in again giddily. The way the stars reflected off the water gave it a crystallized and almost magical effect. I swam deep, chasing the fish as their slick bodies slid through my hands. I swatted at one again and caught my prize. Back up onto the black rocks I went, laughing and singing to myself. I bit into my catch, reveling in the taste. So juicy, so sweet..._

I awoke with a searing pain blazing through my midriff. I bolted upright and patted my stomach with a sigh. What a weird dream.

"Kat, you okay?" Sam asked sleepily.

I blinked the sleep from my eyes, feeling a bit delirious. "Er, yeah, I'm okay."

"Where's Frodo!" Sam exclaimed, on his feet but a second later, the sudden movement making me jump. I turned toward Frodo's cot to indeed find it empty.

"The Pool," I murmured.

Sam pulled me to my feet impatiently. "Well, come on then!"

We dashed through the room, I was pulling my sweatshirt over my head as we moved, just a step behind Sam. The occupied cots along the walls were a blur, I barely registered the slapping sound our feet made on the cold stone floors and how it seemed to echo in the caves around us.

We ran through the halls and only came to a skidding halt when a voice called out to us. "Are you looking for your master?" It was that Man again, the older one we had met at the meeting; he standing against a patch of wall next to a doorway. We nodded, both of us panting like we had run a marathon. The Man pointed down the hallway he was standing next to.

"Thank you," I said breathlessly and we continued on in the pointed direction. This hallway was familiar, and we found we were at the mouth of the cave, near the window; the veil of water was a curtain of pearls and silver thread under the moonlight.

From here the hall branched two different ways; I knew the right led to the dinning hall for I remembered it from earlier at supper.

"That one?" Sam asked, motioning to the dark tunnel on the left.

I shrugged and answered honestly, "That's what I'm assuming." And on we went, plunging into the darkness. There were steps, very wet steps, we learned the hard way. Sam had tripped up them, and with me being behind him, sent us both falling down roughly.

"Ah!" Sam exclaimed, brushing himself off as we stood up, and started to do the same with me before I batted his hands away. "Sorry!" he said quickly and taking a step back.

"Just come on!" I said impatiently. I grabbed Sam's hand and we started on our way once more. Higher up we went, the tunnel got a tad bit narrower and started to wind its way in a circle, like a turret-stair. At last when we reached the top, we found ourselves on a large flat rock without any railings at the edges. Out before us was a large waterfall, splashing over many rocks into a large beautiful pool below.

My attention was so fixed on the beautiful scene I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard, "Are you Halflings suppose to be here?"

I looked up abruptly and saw it was one of the Men who said it. He looked younger than most of the other Men there and he was a bit shorter than the rest as well. His blue eyes shone from underneath the brown hood over his head, fixed down at the pool. He held a bow in his hands, an arrow notched and at the ready.

"Why shouldn't we be here?" Sam questioned stubbornly and with a frown.

"It was just a question," the Man replied, still focusing on his target, every now and again glancing up.

"What is going on?" I asked.

"We found your little friend," he replied, "Down there in the water."

Sam peered over the edge and saw a figure emerge from the pool and onto the black rocks. "Stinker," Sam muttered darkly.

"I wait for my Captain's orders," the Man continued.

"You would shoot him?" Sam questioned, looking up.

The Man turned his gaze to Sam for the briefest of moments before going back to his target. "If it was ordered of me. To enter this pool bears the penalty of death."

"Where is your Captain?" I asked. He motioned with a nod of his head. I found Faramir up on a higher platform, Frodo at his side. Faramir had has hand up, obviously waiting to give the 'go ahead'.

"He won't order it," I said softly. "Our companion will talk him out of it, I am sure of it."

The archer regarded me coolly for a moment. "That may be so, and I know not of the ways of Halflings, but here we simply do not abandon our posts unless instructed to."

"Right," I muttered, "Good night to you, sir, and I'd just like to inform you that I hadn't suggested anything of the sort." I turned on my heel and started my way back to the stairwell. Why had I bothered coming up here? I rubbed my eyes sleepily in annoyance, and soon found myself pushed to my bottom by someone who bolted out from the stairwell in their haste.

"Orcs!" the Man cried. It was the older man from before.

"Oh no... " I breathed. I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that I knew of what was going to happen next. The older Man lost his footing upon the wet stone floor, barreling into the archer Sam and I had just spoken with. The archer lost his grip on his arrow as the Man plowed into him. I could only stare in horror as I watched the black arrow fly from the bow like a rocket and how it obviously hit its target but a second later when a blood-curdling screech echoed off the surrounding rock walls.

* * *

"Wakey, wakey!" 

Lauren's stomach was being poked. Repeatedly. And she did not like it one bit. Groaning, she rolled over onto her belly, as to get it out of poking range.

"Don't make me resort to poking-"

"Pip!"

The voices were way too loud. And they wouldn't shut up.

"What?"

"You can't go 'round poking lasses in the arse!"

"And why ever not? It was never a problem for you before."

"Pippin!"

"Merry!"

Covering her ears with her hands, Lauren had to resist the sudden urge of whacking her head against the floor she lay on. "Will you two idiots shut the hell up already?" she grumbled. "Must I always be woken up so rudely? Honestly... I don't see what I do to deserve it... "

"Mornin'!" Merry said brightly and plopped himself next to her.

"Too cheerful, too bouncy, too early... " Lauren moaned.

"It's actually not so early, love, tis already afternoon," Merry explained, still seeming to bounce in his seat, taking a bite out of an apple.

Lauren raised an eyebrow and fixed Pippin a quizzical look. "What is he so happy about?" she asked, shoving a thumb in his general direction.

"The Entmoot ended earlier this morning," Pippin started, "And then a loud groan sounded just moments ago - surprised all of us it didn't wake you - anyway, Quickbeam said it was a call... a call to go to war."

Merry nodded, holding the bitten apple out to her. Her abused stomach turned at the thought of food at that news and waved it off.

"It's about time they made up their minds," said Merry. "I was beginning to feel restless just sitting here while everyone else is at war. Sitting idly on the sidelines twiddling our thumbs and just waiting to find out our fate I find is far worse; at least if we're in battle we'll be able to do some good."

"Aye," Pippin agreed.

Lauren sat back in thought, trying to recall the battle with the kick ass walking trees. It had been an awesome battle, she remembered. Fire, lots of water... She was more excited about this battle than anxious. They would be with Treebeard. It was the battles afterwards she was worried about, really. She smiled to herself as she thought of a method of attack that could prove useful.

Pippin cut into her thoughts. "I'm not liking that smirk you have there, Lauren. What are you all smiling evilly about?"

She decided to answer the question with one of her own. "How are your throwing arms and aim doing these days? We haven't had the chance to play _'Bash The Passer-By's Head In'_ for awhile and I was wondering how your game was... "

Merry gave her a skeptical look. "Why... ?"

She grinned again. "Well, we're going to be high up, and how much fighting can we actually do if we're on Treebeard, right? So-"

Pippin's face lit up in realization. "Ooh! I get it! You're saying we should put our old stone throwing game into good use!"

"Exactly," she finished with a sense of pride and stood up, brushing the excess dirt the best she could from her clothes. She grabbed her pack and started on her way outside but paused to look back at her friends when she noticed they weren't following.

"Er," Pippin said awkwardly. "What now?"

Lauren shook her head but smiled nonetheless; some things never changed. "We have to go and collect the stones, duh."

She went outside and noticed how chilly it was outside the shelter of Quickbeam's home. The sky was grey and cloudy, and she snuggled deeper into the warmth her sweatshirt provided. Lauren couldn't help but smile as she felt a tug on her hood. "Big stones or small ones?" Pippin asked.

"How about you get the big stones, Pip," Merry said as he appeared beside her as well.

Pippin scowled. "Why do I have to get the big ones?" he huffed.

"Because your head is bigger," Lauren laughed and quickly shielded herself from the stick that was promptly chucked at her.

The next hour was spent gathering stones, insulting each other, and much pouting on Pippin's part. It was one of the few times on the journey Lauren could actually admit that she had been completely happy; distracted from the dangerous times ahead by the laughter and good hearts of her friends.


	49. Chapter 49

_Hello everyone and Happy New Year. _

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* * *

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**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 49_

As soon as Gollum got hit with the arrow, everything went into complete chaos. Gollum's screeches echoed off the rock walls. All the men were on the move; Sam and I were being pushed to and fro between them. "What just happened? What just happened!" Sam was asking frantically.

I couldn't reply. It had all happened so fast, I was in shock. The men all around us were ignoring us, the lot of them barking orders to one another; too preoccupied with whatever they were told to do to mind with the two lost hobbits caught in the middle of the ruckus. Horns rang through the air. I felt a hand grab my arm and I looked down to see the older man that had slipped still on the ground. His eyes were wide and he was shaking.

"Lady Halfling!" he said. "Forgive me! I did not mean for it to happen!"

"Of course you didn't," I reassured him. "What is your name, then?"

"Gama, my lady."

I gave him a weak smile and motioned Sam over to assist me in helping him up. Once we helped Gama to his feet, Sam looked up at the man in worry. "You said something about orcs, sir?" Sam questioned.

Gama nodded. "Yes, a rather large group of them are headed this way. I saw 'em, I did, those great ugly brutes." Another loud horn sounded as if to justify his claim. "I don't understand why they're out about now, dawn is near." I glanced up and sure enough the sky was growing lighter with the rising sun.

"That's because those are no ordinary orcs," I explained, "They must be the Uruk-hai, a new breed courtesy of that awful wizard Saruman." Sam nodded to Gama in agreement.

"Gama!" one of the men came over to us and motioned for Gama to follow. "Come on, Gama! We must keep the orcs out of Henneth Annun! Captain Faramir's orders!" The man turned to Sam and I. "Little Master Halfling is down thataways with your fourth companion, little ones!" the man pointed down the path he had just came from. "He wishes you go to him."

The two men were about to dash to their appointed duties, but I grabbed them before they could go anywhere. I couldn't help but remember a part of the movies that kept invading my thoughts, what Legolas had said about the Uruk-hai. "Hold on just a second! That is not all about them, Gama!" The man looked down at me somewhat annoyed at being kept back, while Gama seemed relieved at learning new information about this new breed of orc. "Their armor is weak at the neck and underneath the arms. Use that knowledge well, for they are much stronger!"

With a nod of thanks, the two men were off to battle. Sam and I watched them leave, and it was then that I felt my heart beating in my throat. There wasn't suppose to be an attack on Henneth Annun, was there? And Gollum, why had he gotten shot?

"Kate?" Sam's voice brought me out of my thoughts. "Come on, Mister Frodo's probably wondering if we're all right." I found myself nodding absentmindedly, only moving when Sam grabbed my hand and started pulling me along down the path that was pointed out to us. Down a set of slippery rock steps we went, a shorter stair than the ones we had to go up in order to get to the pool, and we winded up back inside the shelter of the caves. We were in a small room, Gollum lay on a cot at the far side of it, yelling and tossing and turning as Frodo sat beside him trying to get him to stay still.

"Smeagol! Smeagol, please! You mustn't move! It's making the wound worsen," Frodo pleaded.

Gollum gave Frodo a look of pure hatred and spat in his direction. "_Master_ told nasty men to hurt poor Smeagol, yes precious, he did! We refuses to listen to _him_!"

"I did no such thing!" Frodo protested, trying to pin the flailing creature down, but with little success.

"Liar! Liar!" Gollum hissed, then noticed Sam and me watching the scene by the entrance. "And she knew of it, precious! She knows things! We sees it in her eyes all the times!" A hacking cough paused the tirade, and when his system calmed, Gollum found he had no more strength left in him to fight and fell limp upon the cot. "She knows things," he murmured again quietly, "She knows, precious... "

I leaned back and supported myself up against the wall, and slid down it with my face in my hands. It was then that I heard words that hit my heart hard.

"You knew this would happen?" Frodo questioned softly. "You _knew_? It's Gandalf all over again, isn't it?"

I peaked through my fingers and saw him looking at me with a sad yet incredulous glance. "No-"

"What is it then!" Frodo cried. He suddenly stood up and started pacing as he raved on. "Why will you not tell us what it is we are to face? Why is it you let things like this happen, Kate?"

I felt tears roll down my cheeks. Frodo had never really talked to me that way before. He had always understood my situation. Why was everything different now? _Because of the Ring. Because of this damn quest. We're all stressed out to the max and running on lack of sleep. That's why. But why can't anything ever be easy for us?_ I thought bitterly to myself.

Frodo heaved a sigh and raked his fingers through his hair, seeming to calm down a bit. "Why not let me help you carry the burden?" he asked quietly.

Only then was I able to look Frodo in the eye. "I've already told you the answer to that," I said. "I can't very well tell you the ending to your own story. And besides, it's not as if you don't have enough to deal with already. Would you go on if you knew what lie ahead, Frodo?" I wiped the tears from my face.

"Yes," he replied, "I would."

I gave a dry laugh. "You don't know that. You definitely don't know that."

"Then why do you?" Frodo countered.

"For you, Frodo. It's always been for you," I replied honestly. This was too much. Wasn't that obvious already? I realized I really needed some fresh air to calm me. I got up from the floor and without another word I went back out to the pool to collect my thoughts.

After Kate left the room Frodo raked his fingers through his hair once more and scrunched his eyes closed tightly in aggravation. Sam hadn't moved throughout the whole ordeal, his arms were crossed and he was watching his master worriedly. He also had a watchful eye on Gollum, who was still laying on the cot, looking very puzzled at to what that fight had been about.

"She didn't know, Mister Frodo," Sam said.

Frodo turned his gaze over to the sandy-haired hobbit. "She didn't?"

Sam shook his head. "She was just as surprised about it as the rest of us were. She didn't look too well on the trip down here, either."

"Elbereth... " Frodo muttered. He looked toward the door and decided against going to Kat now. He had already messed things up enough. After a moment of pondering what Kate had mentioned, Frodo questioned, "Why _do_ we go on, Sam?" He sunk back down to the cot with a sigh. "I know I had told her I would even if I knew what was to happen, but the thing is, I don't think I can."

Sam hated seeing Frodo like this, giving up hope. "I know. It's all wrong," Sam said with sad eyes. "But it's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the end, because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened?

"But in the end, it's only a passing thing. A new day will come, and when the sun shines it'll shine out the clearer. Those are the stories that stayed with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now, folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn't. They kept going, because they were holding onto something."

"And what are we holding onto, Sam?" Frodo asked.

Sam gave a small smile. "That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for."

* * *

It had been a rough couple of days for the people of Rohan. With King Theoden back to his normal self, he soon realized the terror that plagued his country when he had been possessed. Fearing an attack on his people, King Theoden had ordered they travel to the refuge of Helms Deep, and the journey had been a slow one. The wizard Gandalf had not joined them for this trip, claiming an errand to be run and that he would meet up with them at Helms Deep. And so the odd party parted once more, Gandalf with promises of returning with aid. 

The people of Rohan had gotten attacked by a group of Warg Riders along the way; the women and children fleeing ahead to the safety of Helms Deep while the men stayed behind and fought. Many of the men fell in that fight, including Aragorn, much to the dismay of Legolas and Gimli.

Upon arriving at Helms Deep, the remaining men greeted their families and settled in. The elf and the dwarf knew not what to do, and felt great sadness at losing their great companion. Eowyn, who they had gotten acquainted to during the trip there, had seemed very distressed when she heard the fate of Aragorn; why that was, the pair did not know.

Legolas sat upon one of the many rock walls outside, the wind in the air calming him. The evenstar pendant lay in the palm of his hand, sparkling in the sunlight. "It shouldn't be this way," the elf murmured.

Gimli, who had not the stomach or balance to sit on the rock wall, had seated himself on the floor with his back propped up against it instead. "Aye," he agreed sadly, wiping his stubborn watery eyes on the sleeve of his tunic. "I do hope the hobbits are fairing better than we. We have already lost two!"

"Yes, two too many," Legolas said with a sigh, "They both shall be missed greatly by many." He turned his gaze over to the lands surrounding Helms Deep, eyes widening at the sight of a weary rider approaching. "Aragorn!" he cried, hurriedly getting to his feet.

Gimli thought for a moment the elf was going to jump off the wall and go splat on the platform full of people below them. He stood quickly but soon found out what had gotten Legolas so excited. "It couldn't be! Is that... ?" he trailed off, not even daring to believe it.

"It is, it is!" Legolas grinned down at his friend, hoping off the wall next to the dwarf, and the two ran as fast as their legs would carry them down to the front entrance. They got there just in time to see the doors open and Aragorn climb down off of his horse slowly.

The pair pushed their way through the crowd of curious people to get to their friend. "Let me at him, let me at him! I am going to kill him!" Gimli cried and hurled himself at Aragorn, throwing his arms around him and hugging him tightly. "You are the luckiest, uncanniest, and the most reckless man I ever knew! Bless you, laddie!" Aragorn gave the dwarf a good pat on the back before releasing the embrace.

Legolas smiled at his friend. "You're late," he said the looked him over and added, "You look terrible," motioning to the cuts and scrapes that covered Aragorn along with the heap of dirt and blood smeared all over him. Aragorn chuckled and hugged the elf nonetheless. "Oh, and I do believe this is yours," Legolas said and handed Aragorn the evenstar pendent.

"Thank you," Aragorn murmured as he clasped the chain around his neck. "Where is the King?" Both Legolas and Gimli motioned to the hall behind them, and followed their comrade as he went in the pointed direction.

* * *

After Aragorn informed King Theoden of the gigantic orc army he had seen heading in their direction, the people of Rohan immediately started preparing for battle. All the men were ordered to fight for their country, even young boys as little as ten years of age were given swords and were expected to fight. 

The heart of every man in Helms Deep was heavy. Whether it was with fear or helplessness - it did not matter. The majority of the population that made up the country of Rohan were farmers and stable hands; hardly warriors with experience in battle.

There was a young man in the line to collect his armor, only one of the many in that very same line. There were some younger than him and many were older. He was a fine lad, and respectable no doubt about it, though there was nothing extraordinary about him to make him stand out above the rest. His name was Rembé and he was a simple young man; at the age of fourteen he was merely a helper on his father's farm. Nothing more, nothing less. He helped his parents provide for their family, even more so in the past few months after the passing of his sickly older brother.

As he moved along in the line a sword was shoved into Rembé's hands and a helmet placed over his head. He was given chain mail and a small shield as well. Rembé stared at the newly acquired equipment, not liking how foreign the metal hilt of the sword felt in his hands. He was prodded in the back by his father to hurry along. He quickly moved to the side as to not hold up the line any longer.

Rembé's father then steered them up a set of steps and out of the stuffy shelter of the rock keep. "The fresh air will do you good, lad," his father said, "Help you keep your eyes open."

The sky was growing dark, and Rembé couldn't help but notice how all the equipment was growing exceptionally heavy in his arms. The pair grabbed a spot along the rock wall beside the stair well they had just came up and set their gear down.

Rembé watched his fellow men of Rohan mill about; some with blank expressions, most likely feeling numb, as if this couldn't be happening. Others were shaking, their nerves rattled to the bone. Rembé was sad. He was also afraid of course, anyone in his shoes would most likely be considered a fool if they weren't. But Rembé could only look on with sadness as he saw his neighbors, his friends with long and solemn faces. How the little boy that lived a few houses down from his was sitting in a corner lost in a daze with silent tears running down his cheeks, a helmet too big for him placed on his head crocked and a sword draped across his legs. This was not the lively little boy Rembé knew and use to chase and play with for hours down in the fields.

"Father, is there not any hope?" Rembé asked. His father's brown eyes held none of their usual spark. The older man pulled his son into a tight hug, sliding down the wall until they were sitting beside their weapons.

"My dear boy," his father kept repeating, "My dear, dear boy... "

Rembé and his father sat like that for a long while, their embrace giving each other strength, barely taking notice when horns rang through the air. The sound stirred a hope within their hearts, a wonderful feeling they hadn't felt for some hours.

"There is always hope, Rembé."

* * *

There were a lot of times during her time in Middle Earth that Lauren was often reminded of her childhood back in the regular world. This was one of those times. She was currently sitting atop of Treebeard yet again with Merry and Pippin at her sides, and with every step the ent took they would rise up a bit before falling back down as the ent took his long strides. For some odd reason this brought back memories of the carousel her and her sister would ride when they were younger, and how they always use to fight for the horse who would bob up and down throughout the duration of the ride. Lauren found it strange that she could think of such pleasant memories while everyone around her was somber and sad. 

The ents were roused; the whole moot was off to war. There was a point during their journey when Treebeard had finally remarked, "It is likely enough, little hobbits, that we are marching towards our doom. It would have come upon us sooner or later even if we had stayed, the lot of us realized, so off we go to war. Better to help and go down with a fight than stay idle. I have pondered long and hard on this decision and I'm afraid that this may very well be the last march of the ents," he said sadly.

The three hobbits didn't know how to respond to that. Merry and Pippin glanced behind them at the long line of ents in the march, then at Lauren with questioning glances. What was to become of the mighty ents? Surely this couldn't be the end. Lauren ignored her friends and their curious stares, fiddling with the straps of the knapsack that contained the stones they had gathered some hours earlier, and murmuring along with the words of the ent's chants and songs softly as they continued along.

There were some things that were better left unsaid, Lauren realized; and after the sun slipped below the horizon and all was dark, they found themselves on a ridge looking down upon Saruman's domain. The singing had long since stopped; the only noise that could be heard was a slight rustle of leaves.

"Thus night fell upon Isengard," Quickbeam murmured from his place beside Treebeard, "And yet whose doom it may signify has yet to be shown."

Treebeard nodded slowly in reply before leading the group down to battle. It was going to be a long night ahead of them.


	50. Chapter 50

_Sorry about the long wait for this chapter. I couldn't really help it, though. There had been some important things going on in my life that couldn't be ignored. Not so pleasant types of things, I'm afraid. But I'm back now and trying to pick up the pieces where I left off... and in the process remembered part of the reason why I had started this story in the first place. _

_This chapter seems a bit off to me, dunno why. Tell me what you think? Reviews would be lovely. Constructive criticism would be much appreciated too. :)_

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* * *

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**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 50_

Rembé peered over the rock wall of the keep nervously, not at all liking the swarming mass of black below. Not that he could actually see anything that well at all, as it was well past midnight and terribly dark, but what might have been the most unsettling was the bouts of grunting and _knowing_ those noises came from dark, evil creatures that reeked of death itself.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, lightning streaked across the sky, and for a split second the area was filled with light. It was enough time for Rembé to clearly see the brutes' ugly faces with their lips pulled back into vicious snarls, and an onslaught of arrows headed in their direction.

"Ah, gods!" he yelped and quickly ducked down behind the safety of the rock wall. Some men around him hadn't been so lucky, and he felt tears prick behind his eyes at their sounds of pain. With a deep breath Rembé squashed his emotions down the best he could; now was not the time to mourn those who were passing. It would do him no good if he got himself killed over it.

"Ladders! They're coming up ladders!" Rembé heard someone shout. "Bring out your swords!" He did so, grasping the hilt tightly. If he was going to go down this night, he might as well try to take down some of the enemy with him.

_Clink. Clink. Clink._

The sound of rain falling down on armor. The storm was upon them. Rembé glanced up at the night sky, a couple of drops landing on his cheeks. 'The gods are crying,' he thought almost deliriously, a feeling courtesy of the fear deep within him. He pushed aside the panic tugging on his insides, gripped his sword tighter when his hands started to shake, and got to his feet once more.

The orcs climbing up the ladders were right at the top now, swinging their swords around as they hopped over the wall and onto the level they were on with ease. How they had gotten up there so fast was beyond him, but he wasn't allowed much time to dwell on it as an orc came after him.

Rembé was barely able to block the orc's strong attack, a blow meant for the boy's head. Again the orc swung his sword, and again Rembé was somehow able to block it. The orc was merciless, going after him relentlessly; attack after attack. Rembé was having a hard time keeping up. In the back of his mind, he vaguely realized he had just missed a parry, and but a second later he grasped the full understanding of his mistake as he felt the tip of the orc's blade enter his shoulder and the harsh pain that came with it.

He cried out as the orc twisted the blade deeper still, a twisted grin on the brute's features. The look of morbid pleasure on the creature's face and the fact that how it was _entertained_ by his pain made Rembé's blood boil. He pushed it back with a hard kick and in a moment fueled by pure hatred and rage swung his sword with all of his might, cutting the orc's head from its shoulders. The sound of the body falling to the ground in a heap at his feet made Rembé's stomach turn unpleasantly.

His sword was stained with the creature's black blood, which was soon added to by a few more orcs he somehow managed to slay, in the process receiving a few more slices and cuts on his arms and sides. Breathing heavily, he leaned against the rock wall. He glanced down wearily and saw that an orc carrying a torch was running through the battle, running toward the keep a ways from where he was standing. 'What?' he thought confused.

The orc with the torch was being struck by arrows, and yet he kept on running, almost as if they weren't even fazing him. The orc ran out of Rembé's sight and a few moments later a rather large ominous _boom_ sounded, the floor beneath his feet shook, causing him to hold on to the wall for support. Eyes wide, he gaped in disbelief as a whole chunk of the rock keep not far from him exploded into the air.

He was barely able to register what happened before getting hit by the debris and crumpling to the ground. The last coherent thought Rembé had was that his head and shoulder throbbed and that his body ached. Blackness took him. He almost welcomed it.

* * *

Aragorn pushed his sword through the stomach of an orc, pulled it back out quickly then shoved the body at another who was coming after him. The dead weight of the slain orc made the other stumble, and Haldir, who happened to be fighting not far from him, stabbed them both. The elf gave Aragorn a curt nod before moving on to slash another brute. 

_"Watch his back."_

He hacked down another orc; mentally shaking himself as the little hobbit's voice came floating to the forefront of his mind. They had been in Lothlorien when Lauren pulled him aside.

_The group was eating peacefully, that is, aside from Gimli who was muttering under his breath about the lack of real drink to Merry and Pippin, who felt somewhat inclined to agree. Sam was sending them reproachful glares from across the table while Frodo and Kat had been busy discussing Elvish and Gondorian histories with Legolas and Boromir. _

Aragorn had just scooped another helping of food onto his plate when he felt someone poke his arm. He looked down to see Lauren, who was seated beside him, giving him a small smile. "Can I talk to you?" she asked. He could see right through her attempt at a smile. He could tell that something was truly bothering her, for there was none of the usual playful glint in her eyes. Then again, it had rarely been there since Gandalf had fallen into the depths of Moria.

"Sure," he said, cutting a bit of meat and shoveling it into his mouth.

Lauren shook her head and laughed quietly, saying something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like, "Men and their food," before growing serious again. "No, I meant if I could talk to you alone_." _

"Alright," Aragorn replied slowly, putting down his utensils. "Now?"

"Yep." She glanced around the table, as if pointing out everyone was preoccupied and wouldn't notice their absence.

The two got up from their seats, bowed and curtsied to the Lord and Lady of the Wood, who bowed their heads in return -- the Lady Galadriel doing so with a hint of a smile playing on her features -- and exited the dinning hall and down the glowing steps of the tree.

The two walked along with a comfortable silence between them, cutting through the trees of the beautiful Lorien. When they had gotten a good distance away from the dinning hall and all the Elvish ears, Aragorn cleared his throat. "What is it that troubles you, little Lauren?" he asked.

She sighed, biting her lip, not really sure how to go about wording what it was she wanted to say. "You know that Warden dude? The first elf we met here?"

"Warden? Ah, yes. March Warden. Haldir, you mean," he corrected her.

"Right," she commented, waving her hands about, "About him_... " _

"He's been a bit nicer to you, hasn't he? I know you two hadn't gotten off on the best of terms."

Lauren shrugged. "He's still a rude, blondie elf-boy. I dunno. I guess so. I-"

"Well perhaps he's like that because you seem a bit rude in his eyes," Aragorn pointed out.

She rolled her eyes at what he said. "Look! I, er - ugh!" she growled in frustration, shaking her head. "It's not that! It's just... oh to hell with it. I'm sick of dancing around the subject. We're leaving Lorien tomorrow, right? So I'm telling you this now because I didn't know if I'm going to get the chance to later."

"What do you mean?" he questioned cautiously.

"Things are changing, Strider. I'll tell you that much. And I think, deep down, you already knew that. But what I wanted to say was... the Warden dude... just stay with him. Watch his back, okay?"

"What-"

"No! Don't ask because I can't tell you!" Lauren said quickly, cutting him off, "You'll know what I mean when the time comes. Just remember what I said."

She had such a look of deplorable solemnness on her features that he hadn't the heart to tell her that her requests made absolutely no sense to him. Instead, he only nodded.

She seemed relieved, flashing him a smile. "Thanks, Strider," she said before brushing past him and walking back up the path. Fallen leaves danced about her in the wind as she walked, and Aragorn couldn't help but notice how Lauren and her sister always seemed to say oddest things. And that perhaps the words Lauren just told him were going to plague him until he figured out the riddles behind them.

"Ah!" Aragorn felt a sharp pain as an orc's blade sliced his upper arm. He hissed at the burning sting, swinging around to attack back, only to find it already slumping over with an arrow protruding from its head. He then made a quick mental note to thank Legolas later.

He pushed his way through the battle in the direction he saw Haldir last, hacking at orcs as he passed. He eventually reached the large part of the keep the orcs had blown up a bit earlier, still puzzled as to what devilry magic Saruman had given the orcs to do so.

"Fall back to the keep! Aragorn, get your men out of there!" he heard King Théoden shout down to him from over the sounds of the battle around him.

"Haldir! To the keep!" he called to the elf in Elvish. Haldir gave a nod, repeating the order to the other elves around him. Meanwhile, Aragorn fought his way over to Haldir. He couldn't get Lauren's grave face out of his mind, her words that were said with such solemnity for the hobbit that he couldn't ignore them.

As Aragorn got closer, Haldir got stabbed in the arm. The elf glanced down at the wound in disbelief before quickly swinging his sword and killing the creature. That's when Aragorn saw it. An orc was coming up behind Haldir, aiming for his back. And yet, he wasn't close enough to block the blow. "Haldir! Behind you!" he yelled.

The elf spun around immediately, blocking the orc's sword just in time. Their swords clashed right in front of Haldir's face, and with all of his might, yet still with the grace of kind, Haldir pushed the orc away from him before shoving his weapon through the orc's stomach.

Aragorn breathed a sigh of relief as the creature fell over dead and Haldir ran to catch up with him. "Thank you, mellon nin," Haldir said as the two made their way to the keep.

"You needn't be thanking me," Aragorn replied, "A little hobbit had told me... " he said with a hint of awe. The elf shook his head and chuckled, not believing the man beside him at all.

* * *

"Take that, you bastards!" Lauren hurled a good sized rock downwards, cackling to herself as it bounced off the head of the orc she had made her target. At seeing the disgusting creature topple over from her hit, she pumped her fists in the air triumphantly, the motion causing her to teeter backwards dangerously. Merry reached out and grabbed a hold of her arm before she fell out of Treebeard's branches, and she flashed him a grateful smile in return before chucking another rock. 

"Ooh, nice hit," Pippin commented, throwing another one too.

"Nice arms, little hobbits!" Treebeard chuckled as more orcs fell from the stones coming down upon their noggins.

"Well, we've had lots of practice," Merry said, smiling to himself at the memories of the three's old game. "But the stones we had used to use were much smaller, of course." He paused and glanced at the girl who had once again let out an evil cackle, and had started clapping and bouncing in her seat. He raised an eyebrow at her antics. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm? Yeah. This whole thing with bashing orcs' heads in: excellent stress reducer."

"... Uh huh."

Lauren put her hands on her hips. "What? It's payback! You can't tell me you don't feel this sick _satisfaction_ of sorts. I mean, these guys only whipped us and dragged us and-"

Both Merry and Pippin grimaced and she cut herself off. "No, no, it's not that, because I do," Merry admitted. "I guess I'm just glad to see you happy again. We haven't seen you like this in a while."

Lauren shrugged, but Merry caught the small smile tugging at her lips as she turned away from him. The three were jarred a bit as Treebeard put a little extra oomph into his stride as he trampled over orcs underfoot, who were now shooting flaming arrows at the ents, catching their branches alight.

Pippin reached for the knapsack, only to dig through it and find there were no more stones left to throw. "We're out of ammunition," he grumbled with a sigh.

"Don't you worry, little hobbits, we've only just begun!" Treebeard said. "Break the dam! Release the river!" he shouted. The ents had little trouble breaking the braces of the dam, and water came barreling down the hillside towards Isengard. "Brace yourselves!"

The hobbits tightly held on to Treebeard's branches as the rushing water filled the area. It fell into the pits the orcs had all their machinery, drowning all of them who hadn't fled Isengard when the ents first arrived. All the ents who had been set aflame dunked into the water, dousing their heads.

Treebeard made his way over to stand in front of Orthanc tower. "Saruman! Tree-killer!" he boomed, the ent's voice rose above all other noise, and suddenly, there was a dead silence. Even the wind itself had hushed its whispering.

It was then, in those few moments of precious silence, that Lauren had realized just how much destruction the ents had brought upon Isengard. The gates had been smashed into splinters, the whole area completely flooded. Dead bodies of orcs floated about in the water.

She turned her gaze upwards, at the platform jutting out from the tower; at where the whole lot of them knew Saruman was sitting, waiting, watching. And then, they all heard something that they hadn't expected. A shrill laugh sounded from the tower.

The ents, who had been all riled up before, suddenly turned cold, grim at the sound. They stayed quiet, and circled around Treebeard, talking softly in their own language. They spoke to one another for a while, as saying anything in Entish takes some time to say, and when all was said and done, most of the ents faded away back into the forest with the morning's first light.

* * *

The sun was rising in the sky, shedding morning light over Helms Deep. They were being over run. As good of a fight they had put up, there just weren't enough people against the seemingly endless numbers of orcs. 

_At dawn, look to the east._

Those were Gandalf's parting words a few days ago. And Aragorn dared to hope for any sort of miracle. He glanced east, and there the wizard was, on top of the hill with the rest of the Rohirrim. Men, elves, and orcs alike all stopping their fighting as the white wizard and the Rohirrim rode down the hillside on horses. Gandalf lifted his staff, and it glowed so brightly it blinded the orcs, who got trampled by the mass of men who came to Rohan's aid.

Aragorn smiled, a new wave of strength returning to him. The battle continued on, and it amazed him just how quickly the battle then turned. The orcs were being slaughtered, and they began to flee from the fight.

"Victory! We have victory!"

Cheers from men and elves sounded; some holding their weapons high, throwing their heads back in triumphant yells. The cheers echoed against the rocks of the keep, and Aragorn couldn't help but feel proud of their fight. Although all odds had been against them, somehow they had been able to come out victorious in the end.


	51. Chapter 51

Author's Note:

It's been forever since my last update. Wow, I'm so sorry about that. Things have been kind of hectic around these parts; college-like things, work, injuries and such. This is by far one of my favorite projects, and regardless of the fact that I have several other original writings I _should_ be working on, I always seem drawn back to this one here. Gods know I've certainly been working on it lately; though truth be told, it's nothing that I would be able to post here on FFN yet since I've been writing this story out of order. I keep hopping to and fro from rewriting the beginning of the fic to getting down all my ideas for the end. This chapter was in a limbo of sorts for quite a while; most of it was written back a good year ago but I wasn't satisfied with what I had, so I found myself adding more and more onto it at odd times.

I realize that nothing can really ever make up for a nearly two-year lapse between updates… but nonetheless, I hope you guys enjoy this extra long chapter.

(Also, if you want to check out my latest revisions of the beginning chapters, I've been posting them over on LotR FanFic until I fix things up enough to move them over here. I'll be posting a link in my bio page, if any of you are interested.)

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 51_

The bright morning sun gleamed off the surface of the Forbidden Pool. The water truly did look lovely in the morning light. It was a beautiful shade of a cerulean blue, and you could easily see all the fish swimming about, the very same fish Smeagol had been trying to catch earlier before he got shot. It seems as if my attempts to distract myself from my own thoughts were in vain, for being by the Pool reminded me of a creature that currently lay wounded and of what we are to face with him by our side in times to come. Although I know I have to contemplate things, they are things that I fear to think through. But I have avoided these contemplations for long enough, I'm afraid; they are decisions that I have ignored for too long, an act on my part that is long past due.

I sighed and hung my head, letting my hair fall into my face. As if by hiding myself under the shield my hair provided, I could somehow hide myself from the world… hide myself from my problems. If only one could do such a thing.

What am I supposed to do?

Never in my life have I ever felt like I was at such a crossroads. Do I continue on like I have, going with the flow of things, only stepping in when I feel it necessary? Or do I throw caution to the winds and warp the story I loved long ago into something unrecognizable?

Though this isn't just a story anymore, is it? Five years ago, somehow it's turned into a reality. And perhaps that's what I fear. Do I stray from the path of what I know is to happen? For if I do, I'm not just changing the story, not only am I risking my life and the lives of my friends, I'm also gambling with the fate of the world. Do I dare take that risk?

* * *

Samwise Gamgee heaved an agitated sigh, crossing his arms over his chest as he sent an unabashed fulminating glare in Smeagol's direction. The small, ratty and wounded guide lay on a cot on the other side of the room. The helping of food he had been given was now gracing a section of the wall not far from where Sam was leaning against it. Amazing, how such a pathetic creature had enough strength to throw it that far being as wounded as he was. Something about, _'We refuses to eat nasty fat hobbit food,'_ was what Smeagol had said at the time. 

Now he was attempting to sit back up, most likely only to be able to take aim and spit in Sam's general direction. His attempts were in vain, however, as his wound prevented him from doing so a second time, and Smeagol was cursing up and down -- and after about ten minutes Sam could no longer distinguish what the hell the creature was raving on about.

Hands clutched at his sides, it took all of Sam's self control not to go over and strangle him. May the gods forgive him if he doesn't make it through the day without killing the little bastard.

* * *

"So you plan to make your way to the great Mountain of Fire," Faramir mused, almost to himself as he continued wrapping a wound on his arm that he had received during the attack earlier that morning. Not once did Faramir look up in his direction, so the Captain didn't end up seeing Frodo's nodded response. "How exactly do you plan on getting there, Master Hobbit, now that your, er, _'guide' _is wounded?"

While Faramir's words were not unkind, Frodo didn't miss the slight barb directed toward Smeagol, either. "That I don't know," he replied softly. He glanced in the direction of the room in which he had left Smeagol in Sam's care, and hoped to the gods nothing too violent was taking place in his absence. Then again, Frodo supposed, if a fight was to occur, he would most likely know of it seeing as their arguments were known to get extremely loud. He wouldn't be entirely surprised if even hobbits all the way back home in the Shire were able to hear them in some of their better Battles of Words.

"I see," Faramir murmured. He finished wrapping the bandage, and Frodo leaned over to assist him in tying it in place. Task done, Frodo sat back as Faramir nodded his thanks. "And what of your other companions? Are they to make the journey with you?"

Not entirely understanding what the Captain of Gondor was getting at, Frodo replied, "Aye. That had been their intentions since the very beginning, a very adamant decision on their part, I might add."

"You do not wish for them to accompany you?" Faramir fixed him with a calculating gaze, one that made Frodo slightly uncomfortable. "Not that I would be able to say differently if I were to find myself in your position, Master Hobbit," he said before slipping his tunic back on. "Your journey has been a dangerous one thus far, I assume, from what stories you have told me of my brother and Mithrandir, and surely the perils you are to face are to only grow larger the closer you are to the Mountain of Fire. Surely you wish not to have your comrades near that sort of a horrible danger? That's especially so for your lady friend, is it not?"

Frodo felt his face flush a bit at the implication of his and Kate's relationship, though he made no move to deny it. Faramir continued on before Frodo could but into the conversation.

"My men and I are to return to Gondor in a short while. Your two comrades are welcome to accompany us, if you should so wish it." Faramir stood, tying his sword back to its place at his hip. And for a short moment, Frodo was shocked into silence at the man's words. "While I may not be able to guarantee their complete safety, for I offer not to be a bodyguard, surely it would be a much less dangerous path for them to take?"

Frodo couldn't help but feel that Faramir was only offering this because he thought Frodo's task to be an impossible one; a fool's errand, a journey from which he will never return. And while that may very well be true, it was a very disconcerting thing for Frodo to see those thoughts in the man's eyes. Was it pity? Perhaps it was, and Frodo didn't like it one bit. He was the one who offered to take the Ring; he brought this doom upon himself. He wanted no one's pity… though he wasn't about to disregard Faramir's offer, either.

"I'll await word of your decision, then?"

He glanced up at Faramir and nodded. The Captain of Gondor went on his way, leaving Frodo sitting there amongst the other wounded, the hobbit's thoughts plagued with how to move forward in his journey from there.

* * *

The Battle of Helm's Deep was finally over. The last of the orcs had either been slain or driven off, leaving the rock keep in a massive state of decay and ruin. Bodies both human and orc alike were strewn about. It was a mighty task indeed, going through and trying to decipher the survivors among the masses of dead that needed disposing of. What few were found in this way were sent into the care of the women; to the hall where all the injured were gathered to receive treatment for their wounds, and to eat up hearty stews to replenish their adrenaline and fear wearied bodies. It was in this very hall that the Shield Maiden of Rohan found herself, tending to the severely wounded. 

"We may have won," Eowyn murmured, "But at such a cost! We have lost so many." She glanced down sadly at the little boy in her charge, slipped his now cold hands from her grasp in order to shut his eyes for the last time. Tears came forth, for this boy couldn't have been more than twelve years old. That fact pained her greatly; he was supposed to have his whole life ahead of him, yet instead it was stolen far too early, by circumstances no one could control. Gathering her wits and drying her tears, she asked for the assistance of a nearby woman, and the two of them moved the boy's remains to the section of the other deceased.

It was then that the heavy wooden doors serving as the entrance to the hall opened once again, revealing two men bringing in yet another fallen soldier. Eowyn immediately ran over, already started on assessing the injuries. Large colorful bruises marred the young man's face; his limbs jutted out at odd angles and were hanging limply. The men grunted with exertion as they draped him gently across one of the few empty cots. Most puzzling for her was the fact that no sword or arrow wound was strikingly apparent like so many of the other wounded.

"What happened to him?" she asked, already on the task of removing his chain mails and tunic. More bruises were to be found under the clothes, these even more nasty looking than the ones on his face. Ugly and painful looking black and blue blobs distorted the young man's skin, the occasional gash or slash mixed into this lovely display as they dribbled blood here and there. There was one gash in particular that was deeper than the others, forming a nice little circle in the muscle of his right shoulder – as if the tip of a blade entered and then was cruelly twisted in even further, carving the area right out…

She grimaced slightly, paling at how painful that must have been.

"That White Wizard Saruman displayed horrible new devilry, milady," one of the men started. "He somehow used fire to crumble our rock keep. Worked, too. This poor feller here got caught under in the debris from the explosion."

The other man nodded. "Aye, we somehow found 'im under heavy stones; couldn't believe it when the mangled boy was still breathin'."

Eowyn nodded slightly in understanding and said, "Thank you, I've got him from here," before turning back to the injured soldier in front of her. The most alarming out of all his injuries were how both his legs plus his left arm were going in abnormal directions. Because those would undoubtedly be the most painful, they would have to be dealt with first, before he woke up… if he ever woke up at all. She took a deep breath, and quickly went to work.

* * *

Sam glanced up as I walked into the room, flashing me a small smile. With a quick look around I noticed Frodo had left him and Smeagol by themselves, and that alone made me wonder how Sam could be the least bit happy. At my questioning look Sam explained, "Stinker's asleep… finally." 

Sure enough, Smeagol was sprawled across the cot on the other side of the room, twitching every once in a while and muttering nonsense in his sleep. "So he is," I murmured, sitting myself down on the floor next to him. "I think that's the first time I've ever seen him sleep, even with all the time we've spent traveling with him."

Sam nodded in response. "What do you know; Stinker's actually a living thing after all. Do you think he'll starve if he doesn't eat?"

"Er, yeah, I would think so, Sam."

He let out an evil laugh of sorts, a very uncharacteristic thing coming from the sandy-haired hobbit. "Well, let's see how long he lasts without eating _'nasty fat hobbit food'_," he said, imitating the sleeping guide and pointing to the lunch that now adorned the wall. He cackled to himself, and I then made a quick mental note not to leave him alone with Smeagol for a while, for it's obviously very bad for Sam's mental state.

_That little Stinker is bad for all of our mental states_, I mused, and felt the contemplative frown that's been marring my features so often lately fall back into place at the thought.

"Are you alright?" I heard Sam ask. I glanced back in his direction once more, shrugging a bit.

"I'm not too sure about anything anymore," I replied, feeling almost empty inside. At his concerned glance, I clarified, "Talking about things always kept me in perspective. But without Lauren around, I haven't been able to discuss future happenings in quite some time. And keeping everything bottled up… it's been making me go crazy with worry."

"Why's that?" he questioned softly.

"Because…" I trailed off, fumbling for the right words to explain it in a way that he might understand. "… Sometimes I need the reassurance that I'm doing the right thing. It's a comfort having someone there; to have someone have confidence in what you're doing, or to voice concerns, or to bring up other ideas I might not have come up with on my own."

He took my shaking hands within his own calloused ones, and I couldn't help but notice how our hands weren't much different in that latter respect. Only his were calloused from years of gardening, while mine were from a lifetime of swinging about on bars – and in later years, trees -- like a damn monkey.

"So," he began, a clarity of sorts palpable in his gaze and in his tone, "You seek guidance."

I heaved a sigh, relenting. "I suppose so."

Sam's grip on me was comforting; the pressure of his hands on my own helped to calm the tremors. It was then that I realized that Sam was like a steadfast rock in the middle of the vast, wild sea of uncertainty; sturdy, dependable, unyielding. And he held on to me, wouldn't let me get lost or pulled under by the choppy waves. Deep down, I knew that notion to be a true one, and almost against my will, I felt myself relaxing.

"I don't know much about guidance, Kat – Gandalf and Bilbo were always the experts on that. But seeing as they're not here and all, I'll always be willing to lend a listening ear." He gave me a little half smile, and I felt the proverbial mental walls I'd built around these important matters start to crumble.

_Oh, was his offer tempting!_

I slid my hands from his grasp reluctantly and shook my head. "I'm sorry Sam, but I can't." I made to get up and dash off again – I needed to be alone with my thoughts before I spilt them all onto Sam, which is something that I really can't allow to happen. But as I started to turn away, he did something I wasn't expecting in the least: he grabbed me by the wrist and wouldn't let me go.

"You can't… or you won't?" It was more of a statement than an actual question. "You've been running off a lot lately, whenever the conversation turns toward what may possibly happen."

"It's my duty to change-"

"But maybe it's not!"

"Then why was I sent here?" I asked bleakly. "For what purpose?"

"For Frodo perhaps? … For all of us? You're like a little sister to me, Kat. And I don't know where Lily would be without you and Lauren. Maybe you need no other purpose than that!" His tone was hoarse, desperate. As if he was afraid that the next words out of my mouth were to be that I wished I had never come here to Middle Earth. If that was indeed what he thought, he couldn't have been more wrong about that.

Silence hung about us for the next few moments, the only sound to be heard was Gollum's snoring. Surprisingly enough, we hadn't woken the little bugger with our raised voices. I felt a tear drift down my cheek and I wiped it away with the back of the hand that wasn't being held captive.

"Why do you think I'm doing this?" I questioned, my voice barely above a whisper. "Why do you think Lauren and I went on this horrendous journey in the first place?" I plowed on without giving time for him to answer, "From the moment that the lot of you became as good as family to us, we knew we had to do something, to try and make the whole ordeal as painless as possible. Especially for Frodo; what that poor hobbit had gone through… what he's still going through despite my efforts."

He raised his sandy-colored head up slowly – I'm not quite sure at what point during our fight that he began to look so utterly defeated – but when he lifted his chin and our eyes met, I saw a spark in him, a certainty that seemed to finally dawn on him. "Maybe… just maybe, you're not supposed to change things, Kat. Maybe you can't, even."

"We had always considered that as a possibility…. But Sam, we _have_ changed some things. I'm just not sure if they'll make a difference in the long run. Gollum…" I trailed off, closing my eyes with a sigh, "Had seemed almost promising for a little while. Like he wasn't… going to do what he had originally done. Or perhaps that was just my wishful thinking. But after this…" I motioned to Smeagol sprawled out on the other side of the room, injured, "This whole incident with him getting shot… I don't have a very good feeling about it."

At the mention of Gollum, Sam's expression darkened considerably. "What's he going to do?"

"I dunno, Sam, I've already told you that when there's a change the future's effected. He wasn't supposed to get shot, so-"

He shook his head, cutting me off. "I know that, Kat! But I'm asking you to tell me what you know of what that Stinker was _supposed to do,_" he ground out; the grim determination on his face at that point was almost frightening. "I'm going to help you with this even if it kills me, because I can't bear watching you worry yourself to death anymore! And you know as well as I that Mister Frodo will always trust that little bugger, regardless of what he _knows_ to be true!"

His breathing was haggard, going in quick sharp gasps; and he released my wrist, now grabbing me by the shoulders in order to shake me a bit. Perhaps he wanted to _shake_ sense into me, but it was unnecessary, really. I was already seeing sense, could practically hear the very essence of the word dripping from every utterance that came out of his mouth. After all, that last thought of his was one that I myself had contemplated many a times since Gollum had joined our little party.

And finally, my reluctance broke. Throwing caution to the winds, I said, "He was supposed to betray us; try and kill us."

He blinked owlishly at me for a moment, obviously not expecting an answer from me so quickly, nor put so bluntly. When he recovered, he muttered darkly, "I knew that Stinker would betray us."

"Thing is," I murmured, "That's what he did before, when he hadn't gotten shot. He blames us for that arrow wound, so god only knows what in the hell is going to happen now." I looked Sam in the eyes, feeling weary at the complicated situation. "And this betrayal of his, as bad as it was, it's the only way I can think of to get us into Mordor undetected."

Sam's confusion was apparent, right down to the frown on his lips and the furrowing of his eyebrows. "How is a murder attempt going to get us into Mordor? … _Oh_." He shot to his feet and threw a glare in Gollum's direction; and now it was my turn to grab _him_ by the wrist, lest he get the idea of smothering Stinker in his sleep. I hardly blame him; it was certainly a very tempting idea, but it was hardly going to solve any of our problems. "He – it…" he trailed off, not really knowing where to even begin, it seemed, "It's that secret way into Mordor that Stinker's been talking about, right? It's not so secret, is it?"

"It's not a secret per se," I admitted, "However; it's a very rarely used path. I can't imagine that anyone would ever dare to use it, not even orcs."

"Then why are we?" he muttered, but then shook his head. "No, never mind that, you would never tell me about this if there was some other way." I smiled up at him a bit, extremely grateful that he understood my predicament. "Is it like those marshes we had to go through?"

I grimaced, knowing he wasn't going to like my answer. "Not exactly. It's going to be darker, more difficult… more _dangerous_ of a path." It was a bit of an understatement, I'll admit, but I couldn't very well have him go crazy on me, could I? No, no I couldn't. And for the next twenty minutes the two of us went over what we were going to do, or rather, how we were going to go about things from then on out. He certainly didn't know the whole truth of things to come, only the extremely watered down version I told him, but it felt nice to have someone helping me make decisions again. It lessened the burden ever so slightly, and for the first time in long while, I didn't feel as if I was loosing my mind.

This would be our first and last time to really discuss (or half-discuss) future happenings, we both knew it. In the end, we came to a mutual decision: we would go the path fate intended, keeping a very close watch on Gollum; and if anything, _anything_ at all, should seem the least bit amiss, those things would be dealt with swiftly and harshly – no matter what it would cost us. Some sacrifices will have to be made if it ever comes to that, we realize. Frodo's been very much attached to Gollum; he thinks he understands the creature since he too has been under the influence of the Ring. I only hope Frodo will see reason if Sam and I have to take matters into our own hands.

But… there's still this small part of me that's afraid, as if things are going to end very badly.

* * *

Lauren hiked her trousers up a bit higher, though it seemed like it was a futile task; no matter how high she pulled them up, they were still getting wet. She was simply too small and there was just too much water. It came up to right above her knees, and she was a bit envious of her two companions, seeing as the water was only ankle deep for them thanks to their new tree-wash endorsed heights. 

"You know, Merry, you had been right about those ents getting scary," Pippin remarked, kicking his feet and splashing around a bit. He gestured up to the tower, to the balcony Saruman had been holding himself up in during the raid a couple of hours ago. "D'ya wager he'll be coming down any time soon?"

"Doubt it," Merry replied, "Too many angry ents around."

Lauren nodded in agreement. "Probably wouldn't be the smartest move. They'd probably smash him to bits and dance on the remains."

Pippin frowned, "What are you two on about? There's really only Treebeard that's still here. All the other ents left."

"Precisely the point, Pip. One's still too many," Lauren explained.

"Treebeard might seem calm now, but I'll bet if he got his hands on Saruman he would certainly have fun tearing him limb from limb," Merry said, and he came to an abrupt halt when a loud gurgling noise sounded. He and Lauren both looked over their shoulders back at Pippin behind them, and the Took flashed them a sheepish look.

"I'm starved," he said apologetically.

"I would hope so," Lauren quipped, "For a second there I was afraid some orc was rising from the dead." That comment prompted a couple of small grim grins, and then just a moment later Merry fell backwards into the water with a shout. Pippin and Lauren both were doused with water from the splash, and the Brandybuck came up spluttering.

"What the-" he muttered incredulously. "I just tripped over something-"

"Your enormous, clumsy feet maybe?" Pippin piped up helpfully, tossing his head about like a dog in an attempt to get the wetness out of his hair.

Merry sent a half-hearted glare in his cousin's direction – or then again, it might have only been his resemblance to a drowned rat that dulled the effects of it. "No, but thank you for the compliment, Pip." He bent over, peering more closely down within the somewhat shallow depths. "It looks like a crate."

"Crate of what?" Lauren asked, getting closer to have herself a look.

"Dunno," was the reply. His pack was then handed over to her for easier access to the mystery box, and he pulled it up with a grunt. "It's kind of heavy, though," and as he propped open the lid, his face immediately lit up.

At his cousin's excited reaction, Pippin came bounding over as fast as he could, splashing water all over the place with his stomped steps. "Is that some of our home brew?" he said disbelievingly, awed and oblivious to everything around him except the booze.

"Yes indeedy, you bet your arse it is."

"Ho-_ho! _What a find! I'm very thankful to your enormous feet."

"Shut up, Pip."

"Since he has some of the Shire's best ale, do you think…?"

They grinned widely at each other, happily drunk on just the mere idea of getting happily drunk. They spun around, intent on searching for some more wonderful finds. A few minutes passed and then Merry finally realized with a start… "Oi, where'd she go?"

"Awfully good question," Pippin shrugged nonchalantly in response, completely unfazed and uncaring of Lauren's disappearance. After all, alcohol was certainly more important at the moment. "She couldn't have gone far, though, so I wouldn't worry about it."

"She's got my pack. Where am I supposed to put the loot?"

"You shouldn't have given it to her in the first place," he reasoned.

"True. This probably wouldn't have fit inside it anyway, all my stuff is jammed in there enough already."

In his bent-over position, Pippin's nose was just barely hovering above the surface of the water, intent on finding more crates. As he hummed his agreement, he could've sworn he just saw a speck of green float past his right ear… and then another. He quickly stood back up straight and saw that the green speck was actually an apple.

"Hey Merry…" once he had the Brandybuck's attention, he gestured to the line of apples floating past. Just ahead there was a small alcove in the base of the tower that they hadn't noticed before, and the apples seemed to be coming from there. So the cousins followed the trail of fruit to the alcove, and once they got there, they found a door propped wide open. Inside the door was a room; what seemed to be a storage room, to be exact. And in this storage room were barrels upon barrels stacked atop of one another, plus crates piled high to the ceiling. It was in this room that they found Lauren, head-first in a barrel full of pipe-weed.

"The old coot has a few barrels of Old Toby," she said with a crazy grin as she hopped down. "He may be evil but that white wizarding bastard's got great taste."

"We should share it was Treebeard, right? He's probably never had any before."

Merry was already pulling out his old and trusty pipe from out of his pack, which Lauren had propped up against the foot of the barrel before climbing up into it. He paused for a moment, and then shook his head. "No, no, better not; dead plant and all that, you get me? I don't think he'd understand."

Pippin nodded in understanding. "Oh, I get it," and he then went on to tap his nose in a great imitation of the old ent, "Don't be hasty."

"Exactly," he replied with a puff of smoke, "_Bar-hrum_."

At that the three all collapsed into a mad fit of giggles, and then proceeded to spend the rest of the afternoon smoking and drinking themselves silly. Treebeard popped in to check on them sometime later, and had to marvel at the curious natures of the little people of the world. He thinks he finally understands why Gandalf is so taken with these hobbit folks, though; they were the sort that never failed to surprise you.


	52. Chapter 52

Author's Note:

I feel like my writing has changed quite a bit since last chapter. (Though I suppose this is what happens when so much time passes between updates.) I cannot say if these changes are for better or for worse. I will leave that up to you guys, as readers, to decide.

**You're My Light in the Dark**

_Chapter 52_

I couldn't help but gape at Frodo in complete disbelief. "You can't be serious," I said, letting out an incredulous laugh. It must be a joke. There was no way he was going to send us away with Faramir. After all we've been through, how far we've come… how could he even suggest such a thing? Doesn't he realize that Sam and I will follow him to the end of the earth?

But Frodo seemed dead serious indeed. Not that he looked altogether happy with this decision he's come to, but it was apparent that he truly believed it to be the best course of action. Sam, meanwhile, held his face in his hands, his eyes going stony as he tried to ignore how Smeagol was watching the whole scene from the sidelines, grinning to himself wickedly. Not that Frodo noticed Gollum's wickedness – which was expected by now. He's failed to see Smeagol's faults for quite a while.

"Of course I'm serious," Frodo replied.

I don't think I've ever seen Frodo so devoid of hope. That must've been my fault, at least partly. I shouldn't have told him about my fears, shouldn't have admitted about being uncertain about things to come. The dampness of the caves was enough to chill me to the bone, but it was almost a welcomed feeling now compared to this new overwhelming sense of incredulity and dread.

"Why?" Sam asked, "Why are you saying this all of a sudden?"

"Because Faramir has made it a possibility. He's offered to take you both to Gondor with him and his men," was Frodo's response. It was said so matter-of-factly, as if he was reciting lines. And that's when I realized that he was just giving up. My anger flared. He was sending us away so he could go off to his death. At this realization I immediately blew up.

"Oh yeah? And what the hell are we supposed to do in Gondor, huh? Sit in a corner and twiddle our thumbs while you go off to your doom? You're _insane_ if you think Sam and I are going to let you go off to Mordor alone with that—that—" Words failed me, and I was left pointing at the injured Gollum, who was watching the whole exchange looking very much like the cat who just caught the canary.

" '_That'_? Hear that, precious, we're a '_that',_" Gollum mocked. "Poor Smeagol is just _trying_ to help. Stupid, mean hobbitses don't appreciate our help. We sees how it is. We knows when we're not wanted."

Frodo, much to our chagrin, took the bait and jumped in to reassure the little bastard. "Oh no, Smeagol, you've been such a help. We could never have gotten this far without you."

Gollum slapped on a hopeful look. "Master appreciates us?"

"Of course," Frodo said. Sam and I exchanged a glance. Only, it wasn't as subtle as we would've liked – both Gollum and Frodo caught it. "What?" Frodo demanded, frowning at us.

Before either of us could respond, Gollum piped up, "They is tricksy, tricksy hobbitses. And Smeagol knows their secrets. Tricksy hobbitses don't like Smeagol because we knows their secrets."

I should've known he'd try something like this. The fact that he was trying to have us argue amongst ourselves didn't surprise me all that much, but the way he said 'secrets' frightened and confused me a little. As if he was certain Frodo would believe his lies… "What are you talking about?" I couldn't help but ask.

Looking up at me from his seat on the cot, his eyes gleaming, he said, "Oh, you knows, precious. We've seen you and the fat one holding hands and whispering to each other when Master is not around. Always looking into each other's eyes, oh yes."

My mouth fell open of its own accord in disbelief. Of all the possible lies that were running through my head, one of infidelity was certainly not one of them. Frodo was glancing between the three of us – Sam, Gollum, and I – not able to fully come to grips with what Gollum had just said. Where I was confounded, Sam, on the other hand, was furious. "You little liar!" he yelled. His face turning bright red, he bounded over to Gollum, grabbed him by the neck and started shaking him about wildly.

"Sam!" Frodo cried, alarmed.

Gollum gurgled and clawed at Sam's hands, but to no avail. "How dare you say things like that!" Sam continued yelling. Frodo tried desperately to get Sam to stop. Nothing seemed to work; Sam had been pushed too far this time and was simply dead set on giving Gollum the beating that has been so long overdue. Frodo's anger and panic were obvious. It had been some time since I've seen him exert this much energy into anything. Gone was the slow, tired hobbit he's been as of late, replaced by agility in his limbs and determination in his eyes. There were multiple failed attempts at prying Sam off the small, wounded guide. Before I could add my efforts into the mix, something happened I was not expecting in the least. Frodo cocked an arm back and swung his fist out full force, rocking Sam's head to the side.

Well, that was certainly something that snapped Sam back to reality. Stunned, Sam released Gollum and clutched his face. Stinker fell back onto the cot with a thud, gasping and coughing harshly.

"Sam, enough!" Frodo said, breathing heavily from the exchange, a tone of weary finality settling into his voice. "_Enough_."

Gasping, Sam fell to his knees, blood gushing from his nose. Sam looked surprised and hurt. Only I couldn't tell if it was because Frodo actually struck him, or the fact that Frodo was now fretting over 'poor' Smeagol and completely ignoring anyone else in the room. When blood began to seep between his fingers, I ran over to Sam and moved his hands away from his face. It was clear that his nose was probably broken. "Damnit," I muttered softly. The reality of what had just happened, the obvious changes in events, hadn't quite hit me yet. I was numb. Not wanting to think about the consequences of these changes, I kept my panic at bay the only way I knew how. I threw myself into the current, and most important, task at hand: fixing Sam's nose. "Tilt your head back, Sam, or you're going to choke on the blood."

"Yeah, I know," he said thickly. The bridge of his nose was all distorted in shape and color. It was already starting to form a lovely bruise and was swelling up like a balloon. Not to mention the way it was split, jutting out to the left – the direction Frodo's fist had flown into it.

"We should get out of here," I murmured to him.

Sam agreed, meekly. "Pro'ly for the best."

I went and grabbed some of the extra bandages that were piled up in the corner of the room, the ones that had been for Smeagol's arrow wound, and handed one to Sam before stuffing the extras in the kangaroo pouch of my sweatshirt. Helping Sam up to his feet, I paid extra attention to be gentle and not jar him around too much.

"You sees that, precious?" Smeagol said hoarsely. "We told you! She loves the stupid, fat one! Poor Master—"

I tuned Smeagol and his ranting out. I was sick of listening to it. Instead I turned my attention to Frodo – and he looked torn. He was caught in the middle. On one hand, there was Smeagol – the trusted guide, so misunderstood and manipulated by the ring – and then on the other hand there was Sam and I – the two loyal people who want to follow him into hell. Indeed, we would have followed him to hell. Except, not only is he sending us away with Faramir, but the trusted guide is trying to form animosity between us. And guess what: the little bastard succeeded. Frodo hasn't said a word, hasn't asked any questions, but the look on his face, and in his eyes… there was a hint of uncertainty. I understand he has been through a lot carrying around that ring, but that uncertainty is something I cannot forgive. Why would he ever have reason to doubt Sam and me? Haven't we proved our loyalty and devotion? …Doesn't he know that I love him?

Still clutching at Sam, helping him stay upright, I turned toward Frodo and Smeagol (who was still ranting) and glared. I cut Smeagol off, saying, "It would be wise for you to never say a nasty word about us ever again. I never spoke up, never told anyone about what I know about you, because in the beginning I thought I would give you a chance. I know what you're capable of, though. I know what you've done. You're a horrible person, Smeagol. May the gods have mercy on your soul for what you've done – and what you still plan to do."

My peace said, I turned to leave, clutching at Sam's shirt as if it would give me strength if I held on tight enough. We hadn't even taken two steps before I heard Frodo call out softly, "Kate, wait!"

I paused but I did not turn around. I was afraid that if I did turn around to look at him, that I would lose all of my resolve to leave and not lash out at him or Gollum. So I stubbornly ducked my chin and said, "If you have anything to say to me, Frodo, do it later when our heads are clear and when we're alone. I have nothing more to say in front of Smeagol, and right now, with the way my emotions are, I will probably say something that I will regret."

Sam slipped an arm around my shoulders and squeezed. The gesture was wholly comforting and I appreciated it whole-heartedly. Good old Sam. Together we left that small room and made our way back down the wet, stone steps toward the cots we had abandoned hours earlier. None of Faramir's men paid us any mind as we passed, which suited us just fine. The last thing we needed was any more distractions. After all, Sam needed tending to.

Only after I got him to sit down on his cot did I realize just how much he was bleeding. In the short amount of time it took us to get back to the cots, he had already bled enough to soak clean through the bandage he had pressed to his face. I pulled another bandage out of my kangaroo pocket and handed it to him. As he switched the cloths I couldn't help but notice how the bruise had already darkened considerably… and just how off kilter his nose was. I turned, scanning the floor for my pack. Once having found it I pounced, desperately scouring through the pouches for the little Elven healing rock.

"I think the bleeding's beginning to slow," he commented.

"That's good," I found myself saying absentmindedly, still digging in the bag, "Since I'm going to have to straighten your nose. And I can't have you bleeding too much when I do that."

"What?" he said, sounding very surprised. "Frodo didn't hit me that hard… did he?"

Aw, poor Sam. I gave him an apologetic glance. "He got you pretty good, I'm afraid. I honestly didn't think he had it in him. Aha! There you are you little bugger." I pulled out the silver rock and went right back to Sam's side.

"Won't that gift Lady Galadriel gave you be able to fix it, though?" Seems he really doesn't like the sound of straightening it. Not that I blame him. It's not like I particularly want to do it either.

"It does have healing powers, but I'm not quite sure of the extent of them. The Elves are powerful, true, but I honestly don't think it's within this stone's capabilities to actually set bones on top of mending them. The last thing I want to do is try it out on you and have your nose fixed, yet permanently crooked."

Sam grimaced but conceded. "Right, well. If you put it like _that_."

Handing him another bandage, I added, "Now I need you to blow your nose before I start."

He complied, grimacing again, probably due to pain and disgust. "Kat, why does it seem like you're very familiar with this sort of injury?"

I couldn't help but smile sadly. "That's because I _am_ familiar with it. I'm familiar with a lot of other injuries too – both minor and serious. Back before I came here to Middle Earth… back when I was a gymnast… my teammates and I came across all sorts of injuries during our training. We kind of had to learn the basics of first aid out of necessity. Because if we didn't learn, we would've had to visit the healer constantly. I'm just glad all you've got is a broken nose – I can help with that."

Kneeling down to sit directly in front of him, I gently placed my hands on either side of his nose. "This is going to hurt. You ready?"

"I suppose." I could hear the lie in his voice, but it was either now or never, so I pressed my hands together anyway.

His yells were loud enough to echo all the way down the hallway.

* * *

It was almost like being back home in the Shire, this was. Except they were not lounging about on grassy knolls, or even up high within the trees that boarder Farmer Maggot's crop. No, instead, Merry, Pippin, and Lauren were sitting atop the tall rock walls surrounding the giant wading pool that Isenguard had become. Leaning back, she sprawled herself out on the white rock beneath her, soaking up the sun's rays with pleasure. This was the life: Old Toby, hobbit brew, and real-live people food. She gave her full stomach a satisfied pat; for the first time in months, they had had a real meal. Turned out that Saruman's storeroom stored much more than just the pipe weed, ale, and apples. It also had crates upon crates of salted meats, crackers, and breads. The old geezer didn't have any cheese stored there, though, which was really a pity. Pippin had outright pouted over the lack of cheese.

"Beggars can't be choosers, Pip," was what Merry had said with a shrug.

It was a good point. They had been lucky enough to find the storeroom; they didn't really have the right to complain about the stores inside it. As it was, the salted meats made them feel like kings – after weeks of eating nothing but lembas bread and entwash, the protein was a welcome change.

"You know," Pippin piped up, plucking the pipe from his mouth, "I missed this. I missed this a lot."

He didn't have to specify what he meant by 'this'. They all knew exactly what he meant. The food, the drink, the smoke, lounging about in the sun on a beautiful day. It was comforting. For the moment, they could forget all about the unavoidable dangers and the wars.

"I feel nearly like a hobbit again," Merry agreed. Smoke swirling around him, Lauren couldn't help but think how he looked almost like the hobbit she used to hang out with at the Green Dragon. The key word there was 'almost'. In her heart she knew that they've changed far too much to truly go back to normal after this trip. She shook her head. Now was not the time to be thinking such depressing thoughts. Propping her arms behind her head like a pillow, she yawned lazily, trying to fall back into the Old Toby-induced lethargy that was starting to wear off.

Pippin cocked his head to the side. "Nearly hobbit? Too true. It's been far too long since we've had a normal six-meal day."

"I miss afternoon tea in particular."

Pippin groaned. "Oh, afternoon tea. First thing when we get back to the Shire, I'm going to beg your mother to make us her raspberry crumpets."

"Too right. Those really are delicious."

Lauren smiled, basking in the change in mood. "You know what I feel? I feel like we're lounging about after raiding Farmer Maggot's crops. My tummy is full, the sun is shining, and I've got my best mates with me. What more can a girl ask for?"

Merry and Pippin grinned at her. "It feels even better than raiding those crops, though," Merry commented, "We weren't chased by those damn dogs."

"Here, here!" Pippin called, raising his tankard and taking a swig of ale. He smacked his lips and sighed theatrically, making Lauren giggle. Gesturing to his ale he said, "Well, I for one feel like I'm back at the Green Dragon after a hard day's work."

"Only, you've never done a hard day's work," Merry cut in. They all laughed at that.

Off in the distance, splashing could be heard as hoofs stomped through the water. Pippin poked Lauren in the ribs excitedly. "Ow," she groaned. "Hell, Pip, cut it out."

"No, you have to see this!" he said with a grin. So she sat up, albeit reluctantly, and was able to see a mob of people traveling on horses, making their way toward Isenguard. Taking the distinct lead was a grand white horse, whose rider was clothed in a white so brilliant that it made her squint.

Lauren couldn't keep a smile off her face, either. "Gandalf," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. "They made it!"

Merry shot her an amused glance. "But you knew that already, didn't you?"

She shrugged. "My knowledge of the future has just about run out, I'm afraid." Merry's confusion was obvious, but any possible explanation was cut off by the arrival of the troops.

Gandalf, from his seat on Shadowfax, was eyeing the hobbits up on the wall with a keen gaze. That is, until he saw the food and drink, and he promptly rolled his eyes. Aragorn, on his own horse just behind Gandalf, was smiling widely as he finally set eyes upon the lost hobbits. "Well, well, look at you three," he said chuckling.

Merry, realizing that an explanation of the scene was in order, promptly stood up and gave a bow. "Welcome, my Lords, to Isenguard!"

Before he could even get another word in, Lauren piped up, "Or rather, what's left of Isenguard. The awesome Ents certainly did quite the number on it, as you can see."

Legolas nodded sagely as he surveyed the scene. "And what of the Wizard?"

"Hiding in his tower," Pippin replied nonchalantly with a wave of his hand. "As for us, we are sitting on the field of victory, enjoying a few well earned comforts."

As if to drive the point home, Merry leaned forward to blow a lungful of pipe weed in their direction. Lauren promptly smacked him in the leg, making him yelp. "Quit teasing them, will you?"

Merry set a glare on her. "Ow, woman! What in the hell was that for?"

She scrunched her face up at him. "I am perfectly entitled to hit you when you deserve it."

"You most certainly are not!" was Merry's shrill reply.

Aragorn, the most entertained of the group, couldn't help but laugh aloud at the pair's antics. They both started at the sound, and turned bright red at their friends' knowing smiles. The only friend that wasn't smiling was Gimli. Instead, he was giving Pippin a frown as the smug hobbit took a swig of ale.

Gimli then spluttered, completely indignant. "A merry chase you rascals led us on! And now we find you here _drinking_… and _smoking_!"

"And the salted pork is particularly good," Pippin said, wiggling his eyebrows at the irate dwarf. Except at this news the dwarf's annoyance dimmed a bit.

"Salted pork?" he echoed, a tinge of hope creeping into his deep voice.

As the three hobbits made promises to let Gimli and the rest feast to their heart's content as long as they were filled in on the details during the Fellowship's separation, Gandalf gave an exasperated sigh. "Hobbits," he muttered to himself. Aragorn, simply happy that the group was reunited once more, gave the wizard a sympathetic pat on the back.

"Now is not the time for feasts," Gandalf continued, looking around at them all sternly. Gimli, who had been the most excited about the prospect, at least had the decency to look sheepish. The hobbits just shrugged, not really feeling all that apologetic. In their opinions, any time was as good as any to stop and eat. Besides, they had been nice enough to share their food. If Gandalf didn't want the others to have any, it just left more for them. Reflecting on this last fact, the hobbits brightened up considerably.

With arrangements in place for the troops to take over the hobbits' task of watching the gate, Merry, Pippin, and Lauren joined the small group of leaders as they made their way into Isenguard. Lauren clutched at Gandalf's long robes, surprised that the wizard had insisted she ride with him. She was completely terrified of falling off the horse, however. Her fear was apparent, for Gimli laughed at her as he and Legolas came up beside them. "At least the water will break your fall if you fall off," he pointed out helpfully.

"Thank you, that makes me feel so much better," she said sarcastically.

He smiled broadly in return, and replied with just as much sarcasm. "At your service, milady." Legolas, as quiet as ever, merely shook his head in amusement at the exchange.

The flooding water made the trip to Orthanc longer than it rightfully should have been (at least in Lauren's opinion), but eventually they came upon the tower. "Young Master Gandalf," Treebeard said in that slow way of his as they approached, "I'm glad you've come. There are many things I can master, but there is a Wizard to manage here."

Gandalf glanced upward; way up at the top of the tower, where he knew Saruman was sitting, waiting, and hiding. His old friend was proud, and his hiding surprised Gandalf – he had been expecting a different reaction at their approach: mean words, at the very least, if not direct confrontation. This silence was most puzzling indeed. Perhaps Saruman's pride was wounded worse than he thought. Even the tower itself was damaged to an unexpected degree. Since the fellow wizard was deeply entrenched in Sauron's evil plans, Gandalf was hoping to get some information about the enemy from Saruman. By the looks of it, the wizard wasn't willing to speak, let alone betray the dark lord of Mordor. But perhaps the effort would not be in vain.

"Saruman. Come and speak with us, Saruman," Gandalf boomed. Everyone waited with bated breath. But after a moment passed, they all realized the wizard would not emerge. Gandalf was not willing to give up so easily, however. He promptly slid off Shadowfax and began banging on the doors to Orthanc with a renewed vigor. Poor Lauren, who was already skiddish up on the mighty horse as it was, gave a little yell of surprise as her only way for support was lost and she quite nearly fell off. Luckily, Aragorn hadn't been too far away and was able to reach out and steady her in time. She flashed him a thankful smile as she breathed a sigh of relief.

A small, grungy, almost pathetic blimp of a man opened the doors to Orthanc suddenly. So suddenly, that Gandalf took a small instinctive step backward. "Grima Wormtongue," Lauren heard King Theoden growl. She frowned, not able to place the name with the character, even though the name sounded familiar. Biting her lip in thought, she turned her gaze back over to the grungy man, trying to replay the movies in her mind's eye. Was there a character that looked anything remotely like him? His dark stringy hair, high cheek bones, and sullen eyes were simply unfamiliar to her. While the actors in the movies don't exactly look like their real counterparts, there was usually a general gist or familiarity that could help trigger her memory. But this time this 'Grima Wormtongue' character, or rather his part in the war's events, remained stubbornly elusive.

Lauren didn't come out of her musings until she heard Saruman's majestic voice speak down to them bitterly, "Why is it you feel the need to wake an old man from his slumber? Your deeds are accomplished enough already, are they not? The destruction has been wrought. Leave this old man in peace. Or will there be no peace between us ever again?"

He was so far up the tower she could not see him, though at those words Lauren could all but picture a weary and utterly defeated man. If he hadn't been the one to conjure up the orcs that had dragged and beaten her, Merry, and Pippin all over hell (or so it seemed like) she might have felt sorry for him. But considering the circumstances, she was able to keep her pity in check.

To her right, King Theoden was an image of rage. "Peace!" he bit out incredulously, as if the very idea disgusted him. "Oh, we shall have peace. We shall have peace when you answer for the burning of the Westfold and the children that lie dead there! We shall have peace when the lives of the soldiers whose bodies were hewn even as they lay dead against the gates of the Hornburg are avenged! Only when you hang from a gibbet for the sport of your own crows shall we have peace." His face had grown redder with each passing word, and by the end of his speech his voice had risen to the point where it made her ears ring.

The response from Saruman was immediate. "Gibbets and crows? Dotard! And what of you, Gandalf Greyhame? What is it you want? The keys to Orthanc, perhaps? Or the keys of Barad-dur itself along with the crowns of the seven kings and the rods of the five wizards!"

"I merely am offering you the chance to do the right thing," Gandalf said, with an expression that was not unkind. Instead of the temper Lauren was expecting, he displayed a patience that she had never really seen from him before. Especially not toward any of the hobbits. "Your treachery has already cost many lives. Thousands more are at risk. But you can save them, Saruman. You were deep in the enemy's council."

Saruman barked out a despicable laugh at that. "So you seek information from me."

"Would it not be better to turn things anew, perhaps?" Gandalf offered. He then opened his arms wide, gesturing to the ruin that surrounded them. "It would certainly give a new and positive light to your situation. Will you not come down?"

There was a moment's pause before any reply was made. And when it was, it reeked with malice. "I am not a fool. I do not trust you, Gandalf Greyhame."

"And the treacherous are ever distrustful," Gandalf said with a sigh, and then warned, "This is your last chance."

"Save your pity and your mercy. I have no use for it!" Saruman said. And with that, a giant ball of fire was suddenly shot downwards, engulfing the area around Gandalf in flame.

There were shouts all around. Lauren's heart was in her throat. She was just about to jump off Shadowfax, her fear of the height be damned, to follow the others who had darted forward to his aid. But before anyone could be of any use, the flames dissipated. Gandalf stood tall, eyes narrowed. His patience had worn thin, it seemed. Glancing upward, he thundered, "Saruman, your staff is broken!" A thunderclap was heard despite the sunny clear skies above them, and a small explosion could be seen from the very top of the tower. "Now go! I pray that this banishment from the order may be punishment enough for you."

Frantic shouts and pitiful cries were heard. But Lauren could feel no pity within her whatsoever. Gandalf had dealt the harshest punishment for his kind, no doubt, and yet there were no more tugs on her heart strings as there had been before. She could not help but wonder if her earlier emotions had been the effect of a magic spell. After all, Saruman was a wizard. She couldn't believe she hadn't realized the possibility of the spell before.

"Look at that!" Pippin shouted, pointing upwards. Lauren glanced up just in time to see something flying through the air over their heads and land in the water yards behind them.

Pippin immediately dashed after it.

"Oi!" Merry cried in protest, but he was already gone. The Took was a hobbit on a mission.

Meanwhile, Gandalf glanced around at the men grimly. "Send word to all our allies, and to every corner of Middle Earth that still stands free. The enemy continues to move against us. We need to know where Sauron will strike."

Eomer nodded his consent, moving to submit the order to his troops.

"Is it alright to leave him like this?" Aragorn asked the white wizard softly, gesturing toward the tower.

Gandalf frowned. "There is no more than can be done with Saruman. He will fester in his misery for quite some time, I imagine. Indeed, he is much more of a threat to himself than he is to anyone else at this point in time."

"And what about later? He will surely cause trouble then," Gimli muttered darkly under his breath. "We should just have his head and be done with it."

But Gandalf had already moved on, and therefore did not hear the dwarf's words. Instead, the wizard approached Pippin with an outstretched hand. "Give that here, lad," he ordered, sounding somewhat alarmed. Lauren eyed the dark yet glowing orb with distaste as Pippin handed it over as he was asked. The object, whatever it was, gave her the creeps. She was glad when Gandalf wrapped it up in his robes and effectively hid it from view.

Not at all caring for the serious atmosphere that had settled around them, she shook herself a bit and slapped a smile on her face. With another grim chapter of their journey behind them, it looked like it was up to her to lighten the mood a little. After all, contrary to what Gandalf wanted, not everything about this war had to be about doom and gloom. Especially now that a small battle had just been won. "Well, now that the old wizarding bastard's dealt with, where are we off to next?"

Lauren had honestly meant well by the question, even despite her rudeness. Which was why she was somehow still surprised when Gandalf reached over to smack her on the back of the head.


End file.
